In the Eyes of a Hunter
by Luna-chan2
Summary: Chapter 18 UP! Continuation from Through the Eyes of a Saiyan When Vegeta's past comes back to haunt him, his family is put in severe danger. What extent will he go to for the safety of his daughter?
1. Bra's Decision

In the Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by: Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 1 - Bra's Decision  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Author's Note: Welcome back, minna-san!! Our new saga has finally arrived! This is a continuation from the story, Through the Eyes of a Saiyan, so if you haven't read our first saga yet, I highly suggest it before you get started on this one. We, of course, appreciate and encourage all and any reviews from our readers. It keeps us going! Now, we hope you enjoy our latest saga, In the Eyes of a Hunter! Ja ne!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bra lunged to her left, barely dodging the barrage of large ki blasts that whizzed past her. "Ah! Daddy stop!" she shrieked.  
  
Vegeta lowered his arms and allowed another blast he was forming to dissipate as he panted out, "Had enough?"  
  
Bra lowered herself out of the air and fell down into a sitting position before falling on her back, exhausted. "I'll do better tomorrow, Daddy. I promise."  
  
Vegeta walked over to her. "Don't worry about it. You're really improving. I can tell."  
  
Bra closed her eyes and breathed heavily, forcing a small smile on her face.  
  
Vegeta bent down and picked her up slowly, settling her on top of his shoulders. She was too tired to balance herself and fell face first into Vegeta's spiky hair, letting her arms dangle by the sides of his head. He glanced up and half-smiled as he walked over to the gravity machine and turned it off, watching the small screen as the gravity dropped from 100 to 0 in a few seconds. He felt as if he were going to float out of the room without trying from the sudden lightweight feeling. He opened the door and walked towards the house.  
  
Bulma heard the door open and close from the kitchen. She walked out with a dishtowel in her hands and looked at her battle-worn and exhausted husband and daughter from the doorway. "Think you might have overdone it a little?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.  
  
Vegeta looked up at her, stopping in front of the door. He shrugged a shoulder, still breathing hard. "No more so than usual."  
  
She walked over to the two Saiyans and took the sleeping Bra off his shoulders. She looked down at her in her arms, then back up at her husband. "Vegeta, dear, you know I wish you wouldn't train Bra so hard. She's just not meant to be a warrior like Trunks. I think this training is getting to be too hard on her." She said, glancing back down at Bra momentarily with a worried expression.  
  
Vegeta straightened up and folded his arms. "It's not too tough on her. She has the potential to become a great fighter. She's not a real Super Saiyan yet, although she has come very close to transforming completely. But if I don't train her now, while she's young, then she'll lose any fighting ability that she has."  
  
"That might not necessarily be a bad thing, Vegeta. She shouldn't have to fight. All the danger that you and the others go into. it's just." she trailed off with a sigh, "I don't want our daughter to have to deal with that. I'm afraid of what might happen one day when you think she's ready, but she's really not."  
  
"And she just as easily could be the one to save this entire planet someday. Nobody thought Gohan was ready to face Cell, but we wouldn't even be standing here now if Kakarott hadn't trained him after everything his mate said to stop it." He countered defensively.  
  
Bulma sighed and looked down a little. "I just don't know."  
  
Vegeta relaxed and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it so much. She'll be safe as long as I'm around."  
  
She looked back up at him quickly. "But what if you're not around one day? What if she's forced to face a danger on her own? Will she really be ready for that?"  
  
Vegeta paused a moment and blinked. "Well.. that's why I train her."  
  
"But I don't want her to feel that she has to put herself at risk!" After a moment of no response, Bulma sighed in defeat. "Well, I suppose there's no use arguing with you anymore. I'm going to take Bra upstairs and get her cleaned up before I put her to bed." She said as she started to walk away. She then turned and looked back at Vegeta. "Oh, do you know where Trunks is? I haven't seen him all day."  
  
"Hmph. He went to go train with that youngest brat of Kakarott's up in the mountains early this morning."  
  
"Well, did he say when he'd be back?"  
  
"He said he'd come back late this evening so he should be home soon."  
  
"Ok." Bulma nodded and turned back around to go upstairs with Bra.  
  
Vegeta let out a tired sigh and uncrossed his arms. He rubbed the back of his neck sorely and walked upstairs, as well, to get a shower.  
  
Bulma entered Bra's bedroom and flipped on the light, closing the door quietly behind her with her foot. She walked over to the bed and set her daughter down gently. "Bra, sweetie, are you awake?"  
  
Bra opened her eyes slowly and looked up. "Yeah, I'm awake Mommy."  
  
"How are you feeling?" she asked as she rubbed her hand over Bra's forehead.  
  
"I'm kinda tired and I hurt." She answered with a yawn and sleepily forced a half-smile.  
  
Bulma went over to the adjoining bathroom and got a wet washcloth. She came back and began wiping off the dirt and sweat from Bra's face and cleaned up the several cuts and scrapes she had, as well. "You know, sweetheart, if this training it too hard for you, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. Neither your father or I are forcing you to do anything."  
  
"I know you don't really like Daddy training me. Do you want me to stop?"  
  
"I want you to only because I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I know you're safe while you train with your Dad, but it's the future that worries me."  
  
Bra looked down thoughtfully, and then back up at her. "Ok then. I'll stop for now."  
  
Bulma smiled sweetly down at her. "Thank you, sweetheart. Now, let's get you tucked into bed." She said and began to pull the covers up around her.  
  
Bra scooted down on the bed and lay back on the pillow, looking up at her mom. "Do you think Daddy will be mad?"  
  
Bulma handed Bra her teddy bear and finished tucking her in. She sighed thoughtfully. "I don't know, dear. But training is your choice to make, not his. Your dad is just there to help you if you want to. I'll talk to him about it." She smiled. "I'm sure he'll understand."  
  
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"WHAT?!?!?!?!"  
  
Bulma glanced down towards the floor. "Vegeta.dear."  
  
"What do you mean she's not going to train anymore?!!" Vegeta yelled in rage.  
  
"This should be her decision to make." Bulma began again, looking back up at the angered Saiyan Prince. "If she doesn't want to train, she shouldn't have to. Don't force this on her, Vegeta!" she countered, putting one fist on her hip and pointed the other finger at him accusingly.  
  
"And I'm sure YOU had something to say on the matter, right?" he retaliated.  
  
Bulma sighed, getting more and more frustrated. "I only talked to her about the subject. I never TOLD her what to say. She decided this on her own!"  
  
Vegeta folded his arms and closed his eyes turning his head to the side. "Yeah, I bet she did." He retorted coldly.  
  
"I'm only looking out for our daughter, Vegeta! But all you ever think about is you're stupid pride of being a Prince!!"  
  
Vegeta's eyes shot open as he whipped his head back around to look at her. "Do NOT insult my heritage, woman!!! The girl's safety has nothing to do with my pride!! What would YOU know about that anyway?!!"  
  
"That is NOT the issue here!" Bulma screamed back at him, stepping forward. "Why can't you just take this like a mature adult AND parent?!"  
  
Vegeta clenched his teeth and glared at her with eyes of fury.  
  
Bulma dropped her arms and straightened up. "I'm through with this discussion." She folded her arms and turned her head to the side closing her eyes. "I never wanted to fight with you but it only figures considering all you ever think about is battle. I just don't want our daughter to get hurt." She said and jerked her head back around towards him. "Can't you understand that?!"  
  
Vegeta just glared back at her, growling quietly through his teeth; his left eye twitched under the stress. Finally he lowered his arms as well and straightened up. "Hmph." He turned and walked away without another word.  
  
Bulma watched him walk away before throwing her arms up in aggravation. "Agh! I swear that man hasn't changed a bit when it comes to discussing anything important." She said to herself and turned, walking off the other way. 


	2. Trouble for Trunks

In the Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by: Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 2 - Trouble for Trunks  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Trunks opened the front door and stepped outside with Goten next to him. "Thanks for letting me stay here for the night, Goten."  
  
"No problem, bro. You know you can stay here anytime. Besides, we were both so tired last night I don't think you could have made it home without falling asleep in mid-air." He laughed.  
  
Trunks stopped suddenly as the smile faded from his face. "Oh no."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Ah!!" Trunks shouted at himself and slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot that I had told Dad I'd come home last night. Man! He's going to kill me!"  
  
Goten glanced down. "Eee.." He looked back up with a grin on his face and put a hand on Trunks shoulder. "Don't worry. The pain won't last that long." He said with a laugh.  
  
"Gee, thanks for the comfort." He replied sarcastically and pushed Goten's arm away. "I better get home now. Maybe I'll get lucky and he won't even notice." He suggested with a half smile.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks kept his ki low, raising it just enough to get him in the air in an attempt to keep his father from sensing him. It took him three times as long to get back to Capsule Corp. from Goten's house as it usually did because he was going so slowly. As he reached the balcony from his bedroom, he powered down completely, falling from the air. He grabbed a bar from the balcony railing and climbed up, landing quietly on the platform. He opened the sliding glass door to his room, stepped inside through the curtains and turned around, closing the door slowly and quietly. He whispered to himself, "Whew, good." He spun around and crashed right into someone, falling to the floor, stunned.  
  
Vegeta glared down at his son with his arms crossed. "Where have you been, boy?" he demanded.  
  
Trunks blinked and looked up. "Uhh."  
  
He leaned down and grabbed Trunks by his shirt, yanking him up off the ground. "I asked you a question! As I recall, you told me you would be coming home last night."  
  
Trunks held his breath for a moment, then exhaled. "I. I'm sorry. I forgot."  
  
"That's no excuse!" he shouted as he let go of Trunks' shirt roughly with a slight shove.  
  
Trunks looked back up at Vegeta in anger. "What's the big deal? It's not like I couldn't take care of myself if something happened! I'm not even--- "  
  
Vegeta backhanded him harshly on instinct. "Don't talk back to me, boy! That's not the point!"  
  
The young Saiyan staggered backwards and fell against the wall, putting his hand up to his face and shutting his eyes.  
  
"When you tell me you're going to do something, you darn well better do it!" he continued.  
  
Trunks lowered his hand and looked down at the floor, muttering, "Yes, sir."  
  
"That's better." Vegeta finished in a dangerous tone as he turned around and left.  
  
"Well, that could have gone over a little smoother." Trunks sighed and pushed himself off the wall. He left his room and headed down the hallway towards Bra's room. He knocked lightly on her closed door. "Bra, you in there?"  
  
"Yeah, come on in." she answered from inside the room.  
  
He opened the door and stepped in.  
  
Bra looked up at him from the bed. "What's up?" she asked with a smile.  
  
Trunks walked across the room and sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall and folding his hands behind his head casually. "Do you know of anything that might have put Dad in a bad mood today?"  
  
Bra glanced down into her lap. "Well." she trailed off and looked back up at him. "I think it's because I'm not going to train anymore."  
  
Trunks raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. "You're not? When did this come up?"  
  
"Last night.' She answered simply.  
  
"Oh." He looked down. "Why did you want to stop?" Man, now I'm kinda glad I did stay at Goten's.   
  
Bra shrugged a little. "Well, Mom said that she was worried that I'd get hurt. She said I didn't have to keep doing it if I didn't want to. I'm just not sure that I really liked the training like you do."  
  
"Mm. So how many G's did you get to?" he asked casually while staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"I got to 100 last night." She answered while pulling her legs up to her, in an Indian-style position, and holding her ankles.  
  
Trunks laughed quietly and closed his eyes. "Hmm, that's not bad. I was at 150 when I turned Super Saiyan, ya know." He added with a proud smile.  
  
Bra rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know that. You've told me a thousand times." She replied with a annoyed sigh.  
  
Trunks chuckled and opened his eyes to look at her. "Well, I'm going to head downstairs now." He got up from the floor and looked back at her. "You just going to stay in your room all day?"  
  
Bra sighed and glanced around. "Yeah, I think so. For now, anyway." She flopped over on her back and let her legs dangle off the side of the bed.  
  
He shrugged. "Well ok. I'm getting hungry, so I'm going go find something to eat. See ya." He said with a wave as he left.  
  
Bra lazily raised her arm in the air as a wave and sighed boredly. "All right. See ya." She said with a drag to her voice and dropped her arm back onto the bed, closing her eyes.  
  
Trunks walked down the hallway trying to think of what he wanted to eat. His stomach growled loudly and he put a hand on it with a helpless expression. Suddenly a smile formed on his face. "That's it!" he exclaimed, remembering the leftover chicken and rice in the refrigerator.  
  
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Bulma sat stiffly at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.  
  
"Woman, I'm hungry!" Vegeta suddenly shouted from the living room.  
  
Bulma's eyes fluttered briefly in startled annoyance as she ignored him.  
  
"Woman!" he called again.  
  
A minute passed with no response.  
  
Vegeta then appeared in the doorway to the kitchen with his fists clenched loosely at his sides. "Woman, did you hear me?"  
  
She turned her head slightly as she turned the page of the paper, making sure to rustle it loudly as she flipped it up.  
  
"Stop ignoring me, woman!" he shouted and slammed his fist on the table.  
  
Bulma continued scanning over the paper with an expression that showed she was calm but on the verge of an outburst. She spoke with a controlled voice. "There's no need to yell, Vegeta. I can hear you just fine." She turned the next page.  
  
Vegeta ripped the paper out of her hands, wadding it up into a little ball, and threw it out the kitchen doorway.  
  
Trunks walked into the kitchen and stopped abruptly, almost losing his balance, as a black and white blur flew past his face.  
  
Vegeta put his hands on the table directly in front of her, glaring down at her and growling low in his throat with clenched teeth.  
  
Bulma stared up at him with her eyebrows lowered in anger. "Don't even start with me, Vegeta!" She got up from her chair and walked over to the refrigerator, opening the door and leaning in. She straightened up a minute later with a water bottle in her hand and closed the refrigerator door with her foot as she brushed past Vegeta towards the counter, leaning against it. She took a long sip of water and turned her head to the side, loosely crossing her arms.  
  
Vegeta stared at her as she did all this; his impatience was growing by the second. He threw his hands up in the air. "Agh! This is ridiculous! You- --"  
  
"Yes, Vegeta!" Bulma interrupted him with a shout. "This *is* ridiculous! It's ridiculous because you just didn't want to hear why it was so important to me for Bra to stop training!" She slammed her water bottle on the counter behind her, causing water to slosh out and onto the countertop.  
  
Vegeta blinked, surprised from her sudden burst of anger. He quickly regained his composure and narrowed his eyes in his own anger. "Oh, and I suppose YOU cared about MY opinion?" he shot back at her.  
  
Trunks stood in the doorway watching the argument between his parents grow in intensity with every breath they took. He sweat-dropped and debated in his mind whether he should try to go for the refrigerator now or wait.  
  
"Bra shouldn't have to fight!" Bulma finally yelled back at the enraged Saiyan Prince. "She's a little girl and I want her to live long enough to grow into a young lady! Is it so wrong for me to want my daughter to have a future?"  
  
Trunks took a deep, preparing breath and started making his way across the kitchen slowly towards the refrigerator, hoping not to be noticed by the bickering couple.  
  
Bulma looked up as Trunks walked through the room and reached over, grabbing his arm and pulling him over between herself and Vegeta, whose eyes shifted at the sudden presence of his son. "Trunks, what do you think about this? Doesn't it seem right that Bra should be able to decide how she wants her life to be?" Bulma asked forcefully, crossing her arms and staring at him.  
  
Trunks stood between his parents, glancing from one to the other nervously. He already wasn't on his dad's good side and this wasn't helping things. I'm so stupid! I just *had* to come in here now, didn't I?? " Uh, well, umm." he stammered. I think since it's Bra's life, she should be able to decide for herself. I---" he stopped suddenly when he saw Vegeta's eyes flare as he glared daggers at him. "U-Uhh, actually." he trailed off and looked back at his mom with a shrug and a nervous grin. "I really don't know. Heh.. I'm just going to leave now." With that, he quickly moved out of the kitchen, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. "That's ok." He said to himself out loud. "I wasn't hungry anyway. I just *thought* I wanted food." He sighed loudly as his stomach made another loud growl. "Now I see why Bra wanted to stay in her room." He frowned and turned on the TV, leaning back and propping his head on his hand behind him. 


	3. Close Call

In the Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 3 - Close Call  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Vegeta sat at the kitchen table eating a re-hearted bowl of chicken and rice he had found in the refrigerator. He was surprised that no one had taken it already. Vegeta had noticed Trunks walk by the kitchen a minute ago but didn't see the glare he had given him when he saw that he was eating the one meal he really wanted earlier. "Trunk, get in here!" Vegeta suddenly shouted.  
  
Trunks stopped as he heard his father call for him as he started up the stairs. Great. Now what.? He walked backwards down the few steps he had taken and turned around to go back into the kitchen. "Yeah, Dad?" he asked from the kitchen doorway.  
  
"Trunks, where's your mother?" he asked gruffly before stuffing another large bite of chicken and rice into his already full mouth.  
  
Trunks let out a quiet sigh of relief, knowing he wasn't in trouble for anything. "Um, I think I saw her go upstairs a while ago." He hesitated cautiously. "Are you still not talking to her?"  
  
Vegeta swallowed hard and turned his head to face him with a stern expression. "That's none of your business, boy!"  
  
Trunks backed up a little and sighed in predicted defeat. "Just wondering, that's all." He turned around and walked back up the stairs.  
  
Six hours later.  
  
Vegeta let out a weary breath and walked over to the gravity machine, turning it off and muttering to himself. He listened as the hum of the gravity generator died down slowly as it shut off. He opened the door and stepped outside onto the grass. A chilling wind blew in from the east causing him to turn his back against it. Loose strands of his sweat- drenched hair flew in his face. He lifted his head and watched as the last streaks of gold along the horizon, from the sunset, faded into pale gray. He then turned his head back to the wind, staring hard at the dark clouds that rolled against the sky. He let out a quiet sigh, knowing to expect a pretty bad storm later that night. After another moment of silent thinking, Vegeta turned and headed into the house, going straight to their bedroom.  
  
Bulma was propped up against the back of the bed reading when Vegeta came in. She looked up and took her reading glasses off with a sigh. She set her glasses down on the nightstand beside the bed and lowered her book into her lap. "Vegeta." she started.  
  
Vegeta stopped by the foot of the bed and looked over at Bulma silently.  
  
As she closed the book and set it aside, Bulma glanced around thoughtfully before looking back up at him. "Dear, I'm tired of the way we're avoiding each other and not speaking. It's been a week since we've done more than look in each other's direction. I'm ready for this to stop." She leaned forward a little, staring intently at him. "Don't you feel the same way, Vegeta?"  
  
He folded his arms, shifted his weight, and turned his head a little to the side, looking up at the ceiling. "I felt that way from the start, but you just never took the time to listen." He answered and turned his back to look at her. "And if you DON'T want to listen, then I don't see any point in speaking."  
  
"I swear, Vegeta! Can't we have ONE civilized conversation without yelling or getting into an argument??" They stared at each other in silence, both having more to say but feeling it best to leave that question where it was. Bulma sighed after a moment and spoke in a softer tone; she spoke with a voice filled with regret and sorrow. "You know, Vegeta. You haven't changed a whole lot since the last time I remembered you." Her eyes filled with tears as she looked down. "And if this is the case, I don't see any reason for me to be here. I don't understand why you bothered to bring me back if I can't even tell that you love me anymore."  
  
Vegeta stood, staring at her with shock in his eyes. "Woman" he paused and started again. "Bulma. don't talk like that."  
  
She pulled her legs up to her, wrapping her arms around them shakily, staring at the tops of her knees. "It's not even about this matter with Bra's training anymore. I just feel that our love has. has died."  
  
Later that night.  
  
Bulma rolled over once again in the twisted sheets and finally sat up. She brushed the hair out of her face from her sleepless night and looked down at Vegeta, who slept soundly with his back to her. She watched his side rise and fall with each long breath he took. She untangled her legs from the covers and got up. As she crossed the room to the balcony doors she heard him shift around and mumble quietly "I.will." She stared at the floor ahead of her and reached out for the handles on the doors. She opened them, a cold wind chilling her and walked out onto the balcony with tears blurring her vision. She stood still for a moment as harsh rain hammered all around her. Fragments of her and Vegeta's conversation ran though her mind. Thunder clapped loudly somewhere close behind her. Her bare feet splashed against the concrete surface of the balcony as she walked over to the railing and looked down with water streaming down the sides of her face. She straightened up but continued looking down at the top of the railing in thought. She whispered, "I don't. even know anymore. Does he even still love me at all?" She trailed off as lightning flashed brightly around her, lighting up the whole surrounding area, and throwing shadows around for a brief moment. Seconds later, thunder roared above her as she gripped the railing limply. She shook her head. "No. If he did, then he would be more understanding of how I feel." She sobbed quietly at the thought and glanced back over the railing. She blinked out the remaining tears in her eyes, letting them join the continuous streams of water running down her face. In a trance-like state, she climbed up onto the railing and balanced herself, staring straight ahead as the wind rushed around her. Flashes of her life with Vegeta skipped through her mind. All the times when he should had been there for her but wasn't. Did he care if she lived or died anymore? Everything seemed to slow down as another enormous bolt of lightning struck close by, illuminating her face and the sudden panic in her eyes as she fell forward. All her breath rushed from her lungs, preventing the scream she heard in her mind to escape from her mouth. The ground rushed closer and she closed her eyes tight. She managed a short, shrill scream as she came to an abrupt stop. The rain slapped her face. She opened her eyes and looked up into Vegeta's face. He had his arms safely under her. He was staring down at her with deep concern and worry in his eyes. She sucked in a breath and curled into his chest, crying as hard as her tired eyes would allow. She clutched his shirt and buried her face into his chest, breathing in short gasps between sobs.  
  
Vegeta murmured softly, "Why Bulma.?" He held her closer in a protective manner and flew back up into their room, lying her back down on the bed.  
  
Bulma continued crying quietly with eyes closed tight. "Oh, Vegeta."  
  
Vegeta stroked her wet hair out of her face and waited until she had fallen asleep. It didn't take long. Her body was exhausted from the enormous shock it had just gone through. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her breathing settled into long, occasionally jerky breaths as her quiet sobs finished themselves off in her sleep. He walked back around the bed and slowly got back under the covers. He scooted over closer to her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, holding her closely as his mind raced. That was too close. He looked down at the sleeping Bulma. I'm sorry, Bulma. for not keeping my promise. 


	4. Days To Remember

In the Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 4 - Days To Remember  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
  
  
Three and a half months later.  
  
"Are you ready yet, Vegeta??" Bulma called up from the foot of the stairs.  
  
Vegeta made his way down the hallway but was not visible yet. "Stop nagging me, woman!" He came around the corner and started down the starts.  
  
"Well do you want us to be late and miss this ship?" she asked with her fists on her hips, staring up at him as he came downstairs.  
  
He stopped on the last step and looked up from the floor to her. "Unless you want me to wear my training boots, we can't leave until I find my shoes!" He glanced around the living room from where he stood before sighing angrily and going back upstairs.  
  
Bulma turned away from the stairs, letting out a quiet sigh as she walked outside to the front yard. She looked up at the deep blue sky and closed her eyes as a soft, gentle breeze blew through her hair. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud bellow, from her frustrated husband, through the open windows to their bedroom. She turned as he stormed out onto the balcony and looked down at her.  
  
"Woman! I can't find those blasted shoes of mine! Why can't I just wear what I want to? I look a whole lot better in training clothes anyway!" he shouted from the high balcony. He stood with his hands on the banister, wearing blue jeans and a yellow long-sleeved shirt. A vein from his frustration was apparent on his forehead.  
  
Bulma stared back up at her husband and cupped her hands around her mouth. "No! I see you in those darn training clothes all the time! I want to see you in something nice for a change, especially for our anniversary!"  
  
Vegeta let out a growl and stomped back into the room.  
  
Bulma lowered her arms and walked back inside just as Trunks leaped over the stairway banister to the living room floor, landing with a loud thud.  
  
"Trunks! How many time have I told you not to do that??" Bulma scolded him from the doorway.  
  
Trunks jerked to a stop and turned to look at his mother. "Ah! Sorry Mom! Dad just told me to get down here and look for his shoes."  
  
Bulma sighed. "All right. It's ok." She turned and walked over to the couch, sitting down. She leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.  
  
Trunks stared at his mother for another minute before browsing around the large living room for his father's misplaced shoes.  
  
Breaking the silence, Bulma sat up and looked at her son. "Trunks, while I'm thinking of it I want to go over what I expect to happen while we're gone."  
  
Trunks, who had his back to her at the time, straightened up and rolled his eyes before turning around. He crossed the room and stood a few feet in front of her in silence.  
  
She stood up and folded her arms. "We're leaving you in charge, Trunks. I don't want you running this place like a madhouse while we're gone. You got that?"  
  
"Yes, Mother." He replied boredly. After hearing every possible rule for the house, while the parents are gone, about a hundred times, Trunks could practically hear what she was saying before she even said it.  
  
"I mean it, Trunks. Now, when we get back," she paused and raised her voice, directing it towards the top of the stairs, "that is, if we ever get GOING," she lowered her voice again and looked back at Trunks, "I want this house to be clean. Mainly keep the kitchen straightened up and I want the floors vacuumed too."  
  
"Yeah, all right." He then looked up at her hopefully. "Can Goten come over to spend the night?"  
  
Bulma shrugged a little. "That's fine with me. He can come over on two conditions. One, he can't keep you from making sure the house gets cleaned. Two, don't terrorize your sister. Oh and if Bra wants Pan to come over since Goten is, that's fine too."  
  
"Great! Thanks Mom! And don't worry, the house will me clean by the time you come home."  
  
Bulma smiled. "Good." She turned her attention past Trunks to the stairs when she saw Bra coming down slowly. "Hey honey." She walked over to her. "Something wrong?" she asked, noting the saddened look on her face.  
  
"No." Bra answered quietly.  
  
Just then, Vegeta came around the corner with the same frustrated look on his face.  
  
Bulma looked up at him, noticing his shoes. "Well I see you finally found them."  
  
Vegeta answered angrily "Yes, I found them." He brushed past the two, muttering something under his breath.  
  
"Well we better get going, now." Bulma said, ruffling Trunks hair with a chuckle.  
  
Trunks cringed under his mother's hand. "Ugh, Mom." He sighed, straightening his hair back out.  
  
Bra ran up and hugged her mother tight. "I don't want you to go for so long." She wailed.  
  
Bulma smiled a little and ran a hand through Bra's soft hair. "Don't worry, Bra. It's not as long as you think. We'll be back before you know it. In the meantime, I just need you and your brother to get along, ok?"  
  
Bra looked up at her and smiled too. "Ok. I'll try."  
  
"Good girl." She said and straightened up.  
  
"Come ON, Woman." Vegeta called from the door with his arms folded and his fingers drumming impatiently on his upper arm.  
  
Bulma turned around and glared at him. "Oh, now you're rushing -me-!" She sighed. "Ok, hold on." She crossed the room and grabbed her purse off the coffee table. "You got all the luggage?" she asked as she walked over to him.  
  
"Of course. It's all out in the car, no thanks to you." He answered and opened the door, walking on out to the car.  
  
Bulma just rolled her eyes and looked back at Trunks and Bra. "We'll see you two in a few weeks. Behave yourselves while we're gone. Bye!" She turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her and locking it.  
  
Vegeta stood next to the car and watched Bulma, who stood a few feet away from him, waving goodbye to Trunks and Bra, who now stood on Trunks's bedroom balcony.  
  
"Goodbye! I love you both! We'll miss you!" Bulma yelled up to them.  
  
"Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Have fun!" Trunks called down with a wide grin. He was excited about the next three weeks without his parents around.  
  
Bra, however, held back tears and waved slowly. "Bye Mommy. Bye Daddy."  
  
"Don't forget what I told you, Trunks!"  
  
"Don't worry, Mom. Everything will be fine. I've got everything under control. Just go and have a great time!"  
  
Bulma turned around and walked to the car. "I hate to leave the kids by themselves like this, Vegeta. I just don't feel right about something."  
  
Vegeta grunted. "Don't worry about it. Trunks is a tough boy. He can take care of things around the house for a few weeks." He walked to the driver's side and got in.  
  
Bulma opened the door and got in the passenger side. "I know." She replied with a sigh. "I just have a bad feeling." She looked back up, through the car window, at her children, noting the look of sadness on Bra's face and smiled sweetly. "Poor Bra. I see that Bra hid your shoes only because she didn't want us to leave. That's understandable."  
  
"Hmph. A pain in the butt is what I call it." He responded, but inwardly, he half-smiled at the thought as he started the car and backed up, driving away.  
  
It didn't take too long before they arrived at the dock to board the cruise ship. Vegeta finally found a parking spot and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He glanced at Bulma, who was eagerly unbuckling her seatbelt before jumping out of the car. He chuckled quietly at her enthusiasm and got out as well.  
  
Bulma held her clasped hands up to her mouth and gazed happily at the enormous and -quite- luxurious cruise ship. Her eyes sparkled in excitement. She then heard the slam of the car's back door and spun around to see Vegeta standing amongst several bags of luggage. Her wide grin remained as she walked back over to him, grabbing up a few of the smaller bags. "Can you get the rest?" she chuckled. "They won't be too heavy for you, will they?"  
  
Vegeta smirked at her sarcasm and lifted the remaining three bags with ease.  
  
They then walked across the vast docking area and boarded the ship. After getting their tickets checked going through the security procedures, they finally found their room number. Once inside, Vegeta shut the door with his foot and locked it for safe keeping, then plopped their luggage on the floor against the wall.  
  
Bulma came back from around the corner after looking around the large room. "Oh, Vegeta, it's beautiful!" She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
He returned the embrace and smiled. "It's just the two of us for three whole weeks without a singe brat to worry about." He smirked and pulled his yellow shirt over his head. He'd been aching to get rid of it all morning. "What do you have planned?" he asked as he tossed the shirt across the room.  
  
Bulma looked at him playfully, giving him a smirk of her own. She ran a finger up his chest, following the curved muscles that were so firm, yet his skin was soft. "Oh, I don't know. I was hoping you would have come up with something." She continued running her finger up to his neck, following his jawbone around to his ear and whispered. "You know I love you, Vegeta. You really do give me the reason for living."  
  
This sent shivers up his spine, as he stood rigid. How long he had wanted to hear those words.  
  
Bulma then placed her hand on the back of his head and pulled him to her even closer as they fell into a deep, passionate kiss.  
  
Vegeta put his hands on her back and pulled her into him more, as his tongue explored the inside of her mouth. She giggled quietly in her throat as he picked her up, not breaking the kiss, and carried her over to bed. He didn't think he could ever have forgotten this sensation, but it had been so long. He did have plans. He had planned to make this night, as well as the rest of their anniversary, something to remember. 


	5. Mischievous Plans

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 5 - Mischievous Plans  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Trunks walked swiftly to the phone that hung from the kitchen wall. He snatched up the receiver and dialed the most familiar number he knew. Goten's. He leaned against the wall and waited for someone to answer.  
  
Chi-Chi crossed the room and picked up the ringing phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Oh, hello Chi-Chi. Is Goten home?" Trunks asked while glancing around the room.  
  
"Hello Trunks, dear. Hm, well he'd better be, because I haven't given him permission to go anywhere else. And I'm sure he knows better than to sneak out of the house."  
  
Trunks laughed a little. "Well, may I please speak with him?"  
  
"Sure, just one minute and I'll get him" she answered.  
  
"Ok, thanks." Trunks replied.  
  
Chi-Chi turned away from the phone towards the stairs. "Goten! There's a phone call for you! It's Trunks!"  
  
Goten was down the stairs in a flash and snatched the phone out of Chi- Chi's hand, muttering a quick 'Thanks Mom!' before she even knew he was there.  
  
Chi-Chi just sighed with a grin and walked back into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Trunks! What's up?" Goten asked while propping against the table.  
  
Trunks grinned mischievously. "Hey Goten. Guess what?"  
  
Goten glanced at the receiver from the corner of his eye as if he were really looking at Trunks. "What?"  
  
"My parents are gone for three whole weeks, and I was wondering---" he stopped when he suddenly heard a dial tone. "Goten?" He jumped, startled, at the sound of the doorbell ringing. After hanging the phone back up he walked over to the front door and opened it to see Goten standing there with a cheesy grin on his face and a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder.  
  
"Heh, heh, heh." He chuckled and put his hand on the back of his head.  
  
"Goten!" Trunks exclaimed with a laugh. "I was wondering what happened to you."  
  
"So, what's the occasion?" Goten asked as he stepped inside.  
  
Trunks closed the door and turned to face him. "It's my parent's anniversary and they went on a cruise for three weeks. Nice, huh?"  
  
"Sounds like fun." Goten said while tossing his bag onto the couch. "So what did you have in mind for the time you have the house to yourself?" He smiled.  
  
Trunks turned and smirked at him.  
  
Bra stared down at the two teenage boys from the hallway at the top of the stairs. She had been watching them between the railing the whole time. After another moment, she stood up and ran to her room. She jumped on her bed and quickly dialed Pan's number on her hands-free phone.  
  
Videl put down the magazine she was reading and walked across the room to the phone, picking it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi Videl. Is Pan there?" Bra asked,  
  
"Hello Bra. Yeah, I think she's up in her room. Would you like to talk to her?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you."  
  
Videl put the phone down and went upstairs to Pan's room. "Pan, there's a phone call for you. It's Bra."  
  
"Oh yea!" Pan exclaimed and jumped off the bed, running downstairs. She picked up the phone eagerly. "Hi Bra! Man, I'm so glad you called! I was getting so bored over here!"  
  
"Pan!" Bra interrupted. "Listen, do you think you would be able to come over and spend the night tonight?"  
  
"Uh, probably." She answered slowly. "Why do you sound so panicked?"  
  
Bra sighed. "My parents are gone for three weeks and Goten is spending the night tonight." She said in a desperate voice. "I heard them talking and I think they're plotting something. I just don't wanna be here alone."  
  
"Oh, man." Pan replied with a slight chuckle. "I know how you feel. Uncle Goten comes over here all the time, too."  
  
Bra laughed a little as well. "So that means you can come?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"Hold on. Let me go ask." Pan answered.  
  
"Ok." Bra replied.  
  
Pan put the phone down and ran to get Videl. "Mom!"  
  
Videl looked up from her magazine again. "What is it, dear?"  
  
Pan ran in and stopped in front of her. "Is it all right if I go over to Bra's house to spend the night?"  
  
"I don't mind." She answered. "Just be careful on your way over there. Have fun." She smiled sweetly.  
  
"Thanks Mom!" She ran back to the phone and picked it up. "Hey Bra! She said yes, so I'll be over shortly, ok?"  
  
"Great!" Bra exclaimed and jumped off the bed happily. "See you soon then! Oh and Pan!"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"When you get here, come by my bedroom window instead, ok?"  
  
Pan shrugged. "Sure."  
  
Bra smiled. "Thanks! Bye!"  
  
"Bye!" she responded and hung up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks smiled at his friend and tugged on the phone cord casually. "Yep, that's right. Ten large pepperoni pizzas."  
  
"Extra cheese! Extra cheese! Don't forget the extra cheese, Trunks!" Goten interrupted excitedly.  
  
Trunks put up a hand to calm Goten down. "Oh yeah, and add extra cheese to that. Put this on the Brief's tab."  
  
"Oookay, sir." The man on the other end of the line began slowly. "That's going to total up to $140."  
  
"Ok, thanks a lot!" Trunks replied happily and hung up.  
  
"This is going to be great!" Goten exclaimed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bra jumped slightly at the sound of a knock on her window. She turned around and saw Pan hovering outside, waving excitedly. She got off her bed and ran to the window, opening it quickly. "Pan! I'm so glad you could come!"  
  
Pan climbed through the window. "Yeah, me too." She said, throwing her bag on the bed. "So, where are they?"  
  
"They're downstairs." Bra answered.  
  
Pan smiled. "Let's go see what they're doing."  
  
Bra grinned as well. "Right."  
  
The two girls quickly ran out of the room and down the hall, stopping at the railing. They crouched down and peeked around the corner, down to the living room at Trunks and Goten.  
  
The two boys paced in opposite directions, staring at the floor as they walked.  
  
Goten spoke without stopping. "How long did you say your parents are going to be gone?"  
  
Trunks stopped and looked at him. "About three weeks." His eyes suddenly widened as he smacked his forehead. "Oh man! Mom told me that the house had to be spotless before they got back, too."  
  
"Aw, bummer." Goten said with little sympathy in his voice.  
  
"Hmph. This house is huge. I don't wanna have to -work- while they're gone!" Trunks sighed.  
  
Goten stopped suddenly and looked at Trunks with a sly grin on his face.  
  
Trunks looked at him questionably. After a moment, he realized his idea and smirked as well.  
  
Bra continued staring down at them from the hallway. After seeing the look on their faces, she turned fearfully to Pan.  
  
"What, wrong? Pan whispered.  
  
Bra motioned for her to follow and ran back to her room quietly.  
  
Pan got up, still confused, and followed her.  
  
She shut the door as Pan ran into the room and turned to face her. "This is just great!" she exclaimed.  
  
Pan walked backwards to the bed and sat down. "What? I don't understand."  
  
"I've seen that look on Trunks' face before. I know exactly what he's planning down there in the stupid little mind of his!"  
  
Pan just shook her head, staring at her friend in confusion.  
  
Bra turned to her. "Blackmail! He's going to blackmail me because he's too lazy to clean the house like Mom told him to! He's going to make -me- do it!"  
  
"Well you don't -have- to do anything he says. Just say that you're not gonna do it because it was his job." Pan suggested.  
  
"HA!" Bra exclaimed. "It's not that simple. We always do this to each other. He'll find the worst thing that I did that Mom and Dad never found out about and threaten to tell them if I don't do what he says. That's how it's been before, and that's how it is now."  
  
"Well, why don't you just do the same to him? Tell your parents about something bad he did so he won't be able to blackmail you into cleaning the house."  
  
Bra sighed and shook her head. "I tried that once. This was about a month ago. Something shorted out on the gravity room and so the gravity could only be raised to like, 100 G's without the whole thing shutting down. Dad was pretty upset about that but Mom didn't have time to fix it yet. They had to go somewhere for a weekend so it was just us here. He went out to train, saying that a little training is better than none. Well he got carried away and forgot that the circuits were messed up. Eventually he raised it to 200 G's. Just like Mom said, everything died and shut down. He messed with it in a panic and as able to fix it so that it would at least start. When Mom and Dad got home, I told Dad that Trunks broke the gravity machine. He got mad at first and stormed into the room where Trunks was." She paused and chuckled a little. "You should have seen the look on his face when Dad was coming across the room at him. It was priceless!" She laughed. "But when Dad yelled at him for an explanation, he told him that he was training and pushed it too far by accident. Dad said that since he had been training and did it, then it was all right. Can you believe that?! All he made him do was help Mom fix it! So I've learned that it's not easy to get Trunks like he gets me. He'd find a way around anything I throw at him. He's got a lot of dirt on me, and believe me, he's knows how to use it."  
  
Pan gaped at her. "That's unreal!! I feel sorry for you, Bra, for having a brother like him. I mean..that.that's just not right!" she said in exasperation.  
  
"I know." Bra replied, "and he does it all the time."  
  
Pan looked down at the floor. We might be out of our league this time. I don't know if we can outsmart them, especially if they're working together! She sighed quietly and glanced out the window. I should have stayed home. 


	6. Saiyans Don’t Play Pool

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 6 - Saiyans Don't Play Pool  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Bulma flipped her head back, sending her hair slicking back against her neck. She let out a contented sigh and smiled. "Oh, Vegeta. This is the most wonderful anniversary ever!"  
  
Vegeta settled down in the hot tub across from Bulma. "Well, I thought you could use a little break. You were beginning to look more tired every day." He said, leaning back and putting his arms up on the side of the tub.  
  
Bulma looked over to her husband. "So, what did you want to do today?" she asked.  
  
"I have reservations at the cruise's finest restaurant for tonight. Until then, we can do whatever we want." He replied, giving her a sly look.  
  
Bulma laughed quietly. "It sounds like it will be a lovely evening, dear. What's the restaurant called?"  
  
"Um. I believe it's called Crystal Dragon." He answered slowly.  
  
Bulma sat up straight from her relaxing position in the hot water, causing a big splash, which got Vegeta wetter than he wanted. "Crystal Dragon?!!" Bulma exclaimed. "Are you serious?!"  
  
Vegeta sputtered from the water and wiped his eyes, sitting up as well. "Yeah, so??"  
  
"That's like, the most elaborate restaurant on the planet!! And you were actually able to get reservations there?!" she asked in astonishment.  
  
He leaned back and folded his arms casually. "It took a little persuasion." He commented as he stared up at a spike of his hair that was slowly drooping forward from the weight of the water in it, and finally fell directly in front of his eyes. He stared cross-eyed at it for a moment before pushing it out of his face with a grunt. Vegeta smiled in amusement as he thought back to the scene.  
  
~~~  
  
Vegeta tilted his head down and glared at that man in frustration. "Listen here, you human scum!" He slammed his fist on the table. "I've had just about enough of you. Now you get us a reservation or I'll pound you into oblivion!"  
  
The host glanced briefly up at Vegeta, then back down at his notepad, showing no reaction to his threats. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now before I'm forced to call the ship's security on you." He said plainly.  
  
Vegeta instinctively slapped the man across the face and grabbed him by his shirt collar, pulling him half way over the table. "I'll have you know that you are speaking to the Prince of the Saiyan race and I will NOT be denied!! Now set up a reservation before I really get angry!"  
  
The host stared fearfully back at Vegeta and swallowed hard, struggling to speak. "W-Well, let's see what I can do here."  
  
Vegeta slowly released him and let him fall back to his feet.  
  
He shakily flipped through his reservation list, frantically searching for an empty table. "OH! Yes, well look here. I found an open seat. One of the best tables we have." He said nervously while hastily erasing a name off one of the spaces. He looked back up at Vegeta. "What was the name again, sir?" he asked with a weak smile.  
  
"Brief." Vegeta answered with a smirk. "Vegeta Brief."  
  
~~~  
  
Bulma's chuckles brought him back to reality. "Hey Vegeta. do you like pool?"  
  
"Pool?" Vegeta repeated in question, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
Bulma looked at him with a smirk on her face.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Now Vegeta, dear, you want to hit the white ball, which is called the cue ball, very easily so it hits the one ball you want to go into the pocket." Bulma explained slowly. She looked up at him seriously. "And I mean -very- easily."  
  
Vegeta replied playfully. "All right I get it, woman. Just give me the stick and get out of my way."  
  
Bulma sighed lightly. "Ok. But first I'm going to break for us." She grabbed her pool stick and walked to the far end of the table. After rubbing the tip on her pool stick with the blue chalk, she bent down over the table and eyed the cue ball to see if she had a straight shot. She set the stick between her fingers and pulled back and forth a few times to get the feel of it. After pulling it back one last time, she thrust it forward with just enough force to send the other fifteen balls gliding across the table in all directions.  
  
"Hm." Vegeta walked over to one end of the table as Bulma walked back over to the wall. He picked up a cube of blue chalk on his way, grinding it on the top of his pool stick. He set it down and stared at the arrangement of balls on the table. After a minute, he glanced up at Bulma, then back down at the table, before leaning over in the same way Bulma did, positioning his pool stick between his fingers.  
  
"Now remember," Bulma said, pointing her forefinger at him in warning.  
  
"easy."  
  
"Easy." Vegeta repeated quietly to himself. He then pulled his stick back in aim of what Bulma had called the cue ball. He pushed it forward, striking the cue ball what he considered to be 'easily'.  
  
Bulma watched in horror as the cue ball bolted across the table and hit the outer ridge, sending it flying upward and across the room like a comet. She covered her eyes, but peeked through her fingers, as the ball shot through the wall to the next room, and then through that one as well, leaving a clear view of the ocean from where they stood. To her dismay, however, the catastrophe was not over, for as the cue ball flew forward, it also struck several of the other pool balls, sending them in all different directions at the same speed. People screamed and ducked as colorful streaks flew past them.  
  
Vegeta remained in the same position, still leaned over the table with his arm outstretched, holding the pool stick limply and a shocked expression on his face.  
  
After somewhat regaining her composure, Bulma quickly walked over to her husband and, with both hands, pushed him out of the room while giving a weak smile of apology to the other people around them. When they were alone, she turned him around and spoke in a loud and harsh whisper. "I thought I told you to hit it -easy-!"  
  
"That -was- easy!!" he protested.  
  
Bulma sighed. I can understand, I suppose. Of course it was easy for him. I should have known it was a bad idea to play pool with a Saiyan. "It's ok. I think you gave them quite a show." She said with a slight chuckle. "I'm just glad no on was hurt."  
  
Vegeta straightened up a little and grinned. "Hm." He pulled out the brochure for the cruise. "Guess we'll just have to find something else to do then." He said as he scanned over the brochure briefly. After a moment he stopped and looked up at Bulma. "What's bowling?"  
  
A horrific image of the chaos he'd cause in a bowling alley flashed through her mind. "Agh! It's nothing!" She exclaimed quickly and snatched the brochure out of his hands. "Very boring. I don't think you'd enjoy something like that. Let's just take a nice walk around the deck and enjoy the weather, hm?" She suggested with a smile.  
  
"Hmph." Vegeta shrugged and put his hands in his pockets casually as they started walking.  
  
Bulma gave a short and quiet sigh of relief and hooked her arm around Vegeta's as she fell into step next to him. 


	7. Time to Pay Your Debts

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 7 - Time to Pay Your Debts  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Trunks waved to the delivery guy. "Thank you!" he called and took the huge stack of pizza boxes to the kitchen table after shutting the front door with his foot, and set them down. "Hey Goten! Pizza's here!"  
  
A flush was heard shortly before Goten ran out of the bathroom and over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. "Great! I'm starving!"  
  
Trunks opened a box of the hot, steamy pizzas. "You just ate practically everything in my refrigerator a half hour ago, ya know."  
  
Goten grinned widely. "That was just a snack to hold me over until the pizzas got here!" he said with a laugh.  
  
Trunks just shook his head and chuckled. "You'll never change, Goten."  
  
"Nope!" he agreed happily while piling several pieces of pizza on a plate.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Pan and Bra remained in Bra's bedroom. Pan was on the floor, lying down on her stomach with her legs kicking back and forth casually, while Bra was on her bed, propped up against the headboard. Pan looked up from her Teen magazine at the door, which had been barricaded with the remainder of Bra's furniture and locked as well. "Is that really necessary?" she asked.  
  
Bra looked at her in surprise. "Of course it is!"  
  
Pan glanced at her, then back at the door. "Well, if they're going to be that persistent, do you really think that will keep them out?" she asked logically.  
  
Bra stared at the door for a moment. She knew good and well that it would only take a minute from both of them pushing against the door before her brother and Goten made it through. She sighed. "It just makes me feel better having a barrier between them and us."  
  
"Ya know," Pan started, " you could just refuse to clean the house and go with whatever he blackmails you with. I mean, would cleaning the entire house really be better than Trunks telling your parents about something you did?"  
  
Bra stared in front of her in silence, thinking about what her friend was saying.  
  
Pan repositioned herself to face Bra more. "And another thing," she continued, "you can't stay locked in your room for three weeks until your parents get home, anyway."  
  
Bra looked down at her. "Ok, I get your point!" She sighed. "I guess you're right."  
  
"Of course I am."  
  
"But," Bra continued, "it will depend on what he threatens me with.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks and Goten sat on the couch, eating pizza, and talking about their plan of getting the girls to clean the house.  
  
Goten spoke around a mouthful of pizza. "C'mon Trunks. There's gotta be something we can think of."  
  
Trunks plopped down a crust of pizza onto his plate. "I -am- thinking. Cleaning the entire house is a big job so I need to think of something she did that would be just as bad or worse if our parents found out about it."  
  
"Mm." Goten replied in thought.  
  
They sat in silence for a moment. Trunks suddenly perked up as a really big grin spread across his face. Hmm. Looks like I'm going to get out of this job one way or another. "Hey Goten. I think I found a way to get the job done and we don't have to think of a way to make the girls do it." He said.  
  
Goten looked up at his friend. "Hm? How? I know you're not going to do it."  
  
"You're right. I'm not." Trunks replied, still staring down at his lap with a big grin remaining on his face.  
  
Goten stared at him in silent confusion for another moment. "What are you talking about?" he asked.  
  
Trunks looked up at Goten, chuckling slightly as the happy grin became more of an evil one. "You remember when we went to Namek about a year ago." Trunks started slowly to get Goten's reaction as he realized.  
  
Goten stared at him blankly.  
  
".and the race for the Dragonball." Trunks continued, the cruel amusement clear in his eyes.  
  
Goten's face went pale as his eyes grew wide.  
  
Trunks smirked, looking a lot like his father. ".you still owe me."  
  
Goten was up in a flash and already running for the front door in a panic.  
  
Trunks ran after him and caught him by the back of his shirt, pulling him backwards. He spoke as he dragged him back to the main part of the living room. "Now, now, Goten. You wouldn't leave a friend in need, now would you?" he asked with kawaii eyes. He was so proud of his new plan.  
  
"I'm the one in need, Trunks!" Goten replied, struggling against him.  
  
Trunks swung his arm around from behind him to throw Goten on the couch in front of him. He leaned forward, putting his hands on the back of the couch on either side of Goten and got in his face, still smirking.  
  
Goten frowned and stared up at Trunks, leaning back into the couch a little bit. "You can't make me do this."  
  
Trunks stared down at him in amusement. "Oh, I can't, huh? Need I remind you, dear friend, that I'm stronger than you?"  
  
"That's not fair, Trunks!" Goten protested.  
  
"It's never fair, is it, Goten." He said in a mocking tone. "You don't want me to have to use force, now do you?" he asked slowly, cocking an eyebrow slightly.  
  
"Heh, heh, heh." Goten laughed nervously, giving him a weak smile.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Pan and Bra were moving furniture away from the door. Bra muttered to herself. "Ok, I'm going to go down there and just get it over with."  
  
"Don't worry." Pan said reassuringly. "I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think." Yeah, right.   
  
"I doubt it." Bra said as they left the room.  
  
They walked down the hallway and stopped at the top of the stairs, looking down into the living room.  
  
Trunks was lying across the couch with one hand behind his head and the other hand holding a piece of pizza. He looked at Goten who was standing at the other end of the couch. "You're beautiful, Goten!" he laughed.  
  
Goten stood with his arms at his sides, fists clenched, wearing one of Bulma's white fluffy aprons and rubber gloves. He stared down at Trunks with a furious expression. "This wasn't in the job description, Trunks."  
  
"Hush now." Trunks said with a smile. "You can start on the kitchen." He chuckled. "It's a real mess." He took another bite of his pizza.  
  
Back at the top of the stairs, Pan and Bra, speechless, looked at each other with sweatdrops before falling over anime style. 


	8. It’s Not What You Think

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 8 - It's Not What You Think  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
"Hurry up, woman! We're going to be late!" Vegeta called, standing next to the bed with an impatient look on his face.  
  
Bulma replied from the bathroom. "Please Vegeta! It takes a lot of time and effort to get prepared for a night like this and I want to look my best!"  
  
Vegeta sighed and sat down on the bed, crossing his arms while he waited.  
  
After another ten minutes, Bulma slowly opened the bathroom door.  
  
Vegeta turned his head when he heard the door open.  
  
Bulma hesitantly walked out of the bathroom. "Do I look all right?" she asked him, holding her arms out to the sides a little.  
  
Vegeta's jaw dropped slightly at the sheer sight of her. He stared at her from head to toe. She wore a floor length white dress that hugged her figure nicely and flared out a little more around her legs. Two blue stripes ran down the length of the dress on the sides, and the space between them filled with a paler blue. On her wrist was a loose diamond bracelet that glinted brilliantly in the light. She had long diamond earrings that matched the bracelet beautifully. Her hair was pulled back and a few curls framed the sides of her face, accentuating her sparkling blue eyes.  
  
Bulma chuckled quietly and walked past him. "Well don't just stand there, silly. Let's get going."  
  
Vegeta followed her with his eyes at first, then walked behind her. A faint, dazed grin played on his lips as he inhaled the smell of her perfume.  
  
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Vegeta and Bulma walked into the Crystal Dragon's main foyer and stood behind another couple at the reservation line.  
  
"Name?" the host looked up with a smile at the next couple in line.  
  
"McDowry." The man standing before him replied.  
  
"Ah, yes." The host replied after a moment of scanning over the list in his hands. "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. McDowry. If you would be so kind as to follow your host, he will direct you to your table for the evening."  
  
The man smiled with a nod and left, his wife linked to his arm.  
  
The host watched them walk away and looked back down at his reservation list for the next couple. "Name?" he asked.  
  
Vegeta stepped closer to the desk with Bulma at his side and smirked. "I thought you would have remembered -my- name."  
  
The host looked back up with a slight frown and blinked in surprise once he recognized Vegeta. "O-oh, it's you, sir. Um.how are you doing this fine evening?" he stammered nervously. He then switched his attention to Bulma, suddenly forgetting his dealings with the Prince earlier at the sight of the angel standing in front of him. He leaned over and propped an elbow on the desktop. "Your beautiful wife is no doubt able to make any evening one to remember." He winked at Bulma, yearning to steal a kiss from her by the end of the night.  
  
Bulma smiled and blushed faintly.  
  
Vegeta let out a low, protective growl under his breath. This idiot has a thing about pressing his luck with me. He gave the host a dangerous glare of warning.  
  
After quickly resuming his official position, the host continued, "You may follow your host to the table, sir. Hope you have a wonderful evening dining at the Crystal Dragon."  
  
Vegeta walked past him, giving one final death glare in his direction.  
  
The host kept his smile until they had they had left the front foyer, then turned back around, releasing a nervous sigh. He glanced down at his list again. "Name?"  
  
"VanCoover." Said the man standing there now.  
  
"Yes, Mr. and Mrs. VanCoover, welcome."  
  
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Vegeta held a chair out for Bulma, waiting for her to sit down.  
  
"Thank you, Vegeta." She said and sat down before straightening out her dress.  
  
The young host waited until Vegeta sat down. "A waiter will be with you shortly." He bowed politely and left the two alone.  
  
Bulma thanked the host with a smile and looked back at Vegeta. "This place is so beautiful! This is like a dream come true!"  
  
"I'm glad you like it." He replied casually while glancing around.  
  
A minute later a waiter walked over to the table. "Hello. I'm Charles, and I will be your waiter this evening." He said pleasantly and handed them menus. "Would you like a drink to start you off?"  
  
Vegeta glanced down at his menu. "Champagne will be brought to the table." he said as more of an order than anything else.  
  
Bulma opened her menu as well and scanned over it.  
  
"Very well, sir." Charles responded. "Will that be all for now?"  
  
"Yes, thank you." Bulma answered.  
  
After a polite bow, the waiter left.  
  
Bulma folded her menu and casually rested her head on her folded hands. "I wonder how the kids are doing."  
  
Vegeta continued staring at the menu in silence.  
  
Bulma stared at him with eyes narrowed slightly in seriousness. "Don't you care that they might not be all right?"  
  
Vegeta sighed and put his menu down. "Woman, if I thought they were in danger, I wouldn't be so calm. Trunks is strong and smart enough to take care of everything." He said logically before turning his head and speaking quieter. "I can trust the boy."  
  
Bulma looked at him in surprise and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't count how many times Trunks wanted to win his father's affection. She could tell, even if Vegeta didn't notice, the extra efforts Trunks always made toward him. But to hear him say those five words made her heart skip a beat. Before she knew it, the waiter returned with their Champagne.  
  
It was no time at all before they had their meals in front of them and were enjoying the company of each other. Bulma enjoyed herself, even though she had to repeatedly tell Vegeta to slow down with his eating because people were starting to stare. After a while, they left the Crystal Dragon and walked out on the deck.  
  
Vegeta couldn't help but stare at her from the side as they walked to the railing. The moonlight seemed to form a faint white aura around her and the earrings she wore sparkled magnificently. Ah. He remembered now. "Wait here." He said after turning to face her. "I have a surprise for you."  
  
Bulma's eyes widened a little and she smiled sweetly. "Ok."  
  
Vegeta leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss before straightening back up and leaving.  
  
Bulma watched him leave, then turned back to the railing. She leaned on it and sighed in contentment, watching the moonlight shimmer on the calm waters of the ocean.  
  
"Hello my sweet." A strange voice spoke, breaking the silence.  
  
Bulma gasped slightly, not knowing there was anyone behind her and turned around quickly, almost slamming into the body that stood so close to hers.  
  
"I'm sorry that I frightened you, my dear. Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Hugh." He said and took her hand, gently kissing it.  
  
Bulma narrowed her eyes slightly at him. "I recognize you. You were the host we met before dinner. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I had to see you again." Hugh answered, taking a step closer to her. "You are like an angel sent from heaven. And your eyes, I could get lost in those eyes."  
  
She wanted to back away from this strange man but he had advanced so close to her that she was now backed into the ship's railing, trapping her between him and the ocean below. Her mind raced quickly, but not quickly enough before she found herself being bent over the railing, consumed by the painful kiss he was forcing upon her. She struggled to get him off but his hands locked her down. A moan of disgust came from her throat as his tongue plunged into her mouth. It felt like this molestation had lasted forever but just when she thought she couldn't stand it any longer, two strong, powerful arms locked around Hugh and violently yanked him off her. She looked up just in time to see Vegeta hurl Hugh across the deck of the ship. He hit the wooden floor hard, and ungracefully skidded halfway down the deck before coming to a stop, unmoving. She thought she couldn't have been happier to see Vegeta right then until she looked into his eyes, eyes filled with confusion and anger. She didn't have time to say anything before he was so close to her she could hardly breath.  
  
He stared down at her furiously. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?!  
  
Bulma felt the color drain from her cheeks. It felt like she had just got the wind punched out of her by his words. She didn't have time to answer him or even react before she was watching his back as he got further and further away down the long deck of the ship. She finally willed her legs to move and ran after him. "Vegeta! Wait!!" 


	9. Fearful Senses

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 9 - Fearful Senses  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, folks. For all of you that don't know, Mandy has a mailing list. So if you would like to be on it, please post your email address along with your review. The point of it is, whenever we update the story, she emails those ones, so they will know when a new chapter is posted. Now, for those who thought we went too easy on Hugh, in the last chapter.(laughs evilly) well, here you go. ^^ Enjoy the chapter and please review!  
  
Vegeta punched the door with the side of his fist to open it, planting a rather sizeable dent in the elegantly carved design of the wood, as well as in the wall the doorknob had struck as it swung in the room. He ignored the loud thud it made and stomped into the room.  
  
A minute later, Bulma came half-running into the room. "Vegeta! If you would just listen to me, you'd see you've got it all wrong."  
  
Vegeta stood there, leaning against the dresser, and stared at her. "Well.?"  
  
She let out an exhausted sigh. "First of all, you know I'd never betray you. I can't believe you would think so lowly of me. That man was on me faster than I could blink!"  
  
Vegeta continued his stare, though his initial anger was starting to decrease.  
  
"Vegeta, you've got to believe me. This is ridiculous. This only thing you saw was me, being kissed by another man, and if you had looked closer you would have seen nothing coming from me except resistance! I would never go to anybody but you, Vegeta." She stopped and let her arms hang at her sides, staring back at him, waiting for some response.  
  
He broke the stare between them and moved to sit down on the edge of the bed.  
  
Bulma watched him and let out a quiet sigh. She walked over the dresser and started removing her jewelry and undoing her hair, letting it flow down her back and over her shoulders in big curls. "Let's just forget it ever happened." She said. "It shouldn't have even happened at all. I certainly didn't find that experience very pleasant. He definitely deserved a lot more than you gave him." She turned around to face Vegeta and gasped as she almost slammed into his chest, not knowing he had come up behind her.  
  
He put his hands around her waist and leaned in close to her ear, speaking softly. "Close your eyes. I have something for you." He whispered and leaned back away from her.  
  
Bulma looked at him curiously as the corners of her mouth lifted in a slight smile and she closed her eyes.  
  
Vegeta stepped back and reached inside his jacket, pulling something from his pocket. He let out a breath, gazing down at the small black velvet box in his hand. He then reached down and took her hand, placing the tiny box in her open palm and closed her fingers around it.  
  
She opened her eyes at the feel of something in her hand. She stared down at the box for a moment, then looked up and met Vegeta's eyes before returning her attention to the box. She let out a shaky breath and slowly opened it.  
  
Suddenly, a brilliant white light filled the room. It exploded from the little box as if it were a living thing that had been contained for too long and was just waiting to be set free again. Bulma shielded her eyes from the blinding rays. She stared in awe as all the different colors shone faintly from within the center of where the light was coming from. Vegeta stood, his head turned downward slightly, with a proud smile on his face. He knew exactly what was happening, and was even excited despite himself. After a while, the light faded, though a soft white glow continued to shine. Bulma's eyes widened it surprise and she gasped as she looked down at the source of all the excitement, resting her eyes on a small, yet stunning ring. It wasn't a diamond, though that was what it could be closest described as. This was something she had never seen before and as she looked closer, the beauty was breathtaking. She stood, staring at it in wonder and amazement, unable to say anything.  
  
Vegeta answered the unasked question. "It's called the Jilkion Stone. It was the most rare of all jewels on Planet Vegeta. Only one exists. The Royal family has passed it down for generations. This one stone is more valuable than anything on this planet. It's similar to what the people of Earth call a mood stone, in that it reflects your emotions by giving off a faint glow of the color most resembling what you feel." He looked down at the ring and took it out of the box. "And the stronger your mood," he paused and slid the extravagant band on her finger. "the brighter it glows."  
  
Bulma looked down at her finger as he put the ring on. "Oh, Vegeta." She breathed. "I don't know what to say. This is so much more than I ever expected." She looked back up into his eyes, her own misting over with tears. "I'm truly honored to wear this." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. She leaned up and kissed him, pulling him closer to her.  
  
Vegeta leaned down and put his arms around her back and closed his eyes. After a few moments they broke the kiss. He rested his head on hers, breathing in the scent of her perfume. They stood, just enjoying being in each other's arms. A moment later he opened his eyes a little and spoke quietly. "Stay here. There's something I need to take care of." He pulled away from her embrace.  
  
"What it is?"  
  
"Don't worry about that." Vegeta replied simply. "Just get ready for bed and I'll be back shortly." He let her go and turned towards the door, smirking to himself on the way out.  
  
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Hugh walked slowly around the deck, rubbing the sore spot on his cheek where he had landed after being thrown by Vegeta. He stopped and leaned against the railing, looking out on the cold water and sighed quietly. He spoke to himself. "I'll have an ugly bruise there later." He let out another sigh, then smiled and chuckled to himself. "Ahh, it sure was worth it though."  
  
"Was it?"  
  
The grin disappeared from his face at the sound of the voice behind him. Before he could even turn all the way around, Vegeta had grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him nearly a foot above the ground. "I warned you!" the Prince shouted at him.  
  
Hugh struggled against him, fearing for his life. He tried to pry Vegeta's hands away but to no avail. The shock from the sudden situation had robbed him of his voice, preventing him from screaming for help.  
  
Without any further hesitation, Vegeta began punching the man repeatedly in the face with his right fist. He held back just enough so as not to kill him. The man was wailing now, letting out short yells with each impact. All Vegeta could think about now was this puny man forcing a kiss on his Bulma. Another punch, faster this time, with more force. A pained grunt was the reply as blood began to gush from Hugh's nose and split lip. Vegeta yanked him closer to him and screamed in rage. "Tell me now, weakling! Was it worth it?!!" Hugh only cried out in reply. He coughed, his heart pounding as he tasted the sour blood inside his entire mouth and gagged. Vegeta ignored his choking and hit him again, this time in the stomach. Hugh's eyes bulged and blood spewed from his mouth now. By this point, he had lost control over any strategy to escape. All he could think of was the numbing pain that racked his entire body. His throat went into convulsions, causing him to make stuttering, crying sounds involuntarily. Vegeta only sneered at the man's whimpers as his anger fueled the onslaught. He pulled Hugh back a little and slammed him into the ship's railing. He let out a short, strangled scream. Even if he were able to call for help, by now he was so thoroughly beaten his voice wouldn't reach anybody. He hung limp in the powerful Saiyan's fist. His eyes were closed tightly and his hand twitched a little. Vegeta pulled him closer so he was near enough to hear Hugh's slow, raspy breathing. Hugh opened his eyes slowly and stared at him in absolute helplessness. Vegeta whispered to him in a deadly tone. "I know what you're thinking. 'Thank goodness it's over. Now at least someone will find me, here on the deck, and eventually I will be all right.'" Hugh's eyes twitched at the mocking tone in his voice. Vegeta continued, "But there will be no one to save you, at the bottom of the sea." He paused, just long enough to stare into Hugh's eyes and watch the fear completely overtake him. Then with one final smirk, he hurled him over the railing into the cold black waters of the night. He stood there for another minute, staring at the water as the sounds of Hugh's final screams echoed through his mind. It reminded him of the way things had been, so many, many years ago. He frowned at the thought, yet didn't regret a single punch. He watched the surface of the water grow still, moving only slightly now, gently rippling from the slow forward motion of the ship as if nothing had ever happened. Hugh's pale, blurry figure quickly became invisible through the darkness of the water. He relaxed a little and shifted his weight. Without another word or sign of recognition, he turned to go back to the room.  
  
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Bulma lay there, staring up at the ceiling with her hands casually folded behind her head, resting on her pillow. She looked up from her place in bed as Vegeta opened the door and came into the room, closing it behind him. She rolled over and propped herself up on her elbow. "Welcome back." She said with a smile. She rolled back down, resting her head back on her pillow.  
  
Vegeta smirked and huffed in amusement. He crossed the room to get ready for bed. After changing out of the suit he wore to dinner, he went to the bathroom and washed his face and hands to rid himself of any traces of blood from earlier. He came back out moments later, drying his hands on his shirt. He climbed into bed beside Bulma and slid under the covers, resting is head on the soft pillow.  
  
Bulma stared up at the ceiling in thought with the slightest hint of worry in her eyes.  
  
Vegeta glanced over to her. "What is it?"  
  
"It's the children." she answered hesitantly.  
  
Vegeta let out a rough sigh. "Would you stop worrying about them? I already told you, they're fine. We've left them alone like this before and the worst we ever came home to was a broken gravity chamber. That was bad enough, but still, no one had gotten hurt."  
  
Bulma sighed as well. "I know, I know. I just.have this strange feeling."  
  
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"Bra! Get back here!!" Trunks yelled as he chased his sister around the living room. Then he added in more of a pleading voice, "Bra, I just had this place cleaned. Don't go and mess it up!" I don't think I'd be able to get Goten to come back over here any time soon.   
  
"No!" Bra shouted back at him and kept running.  
  
"It's your bedtime! Now come here!" he demanded.  
  
"No! It's too early!"  
  
Trunks smirked suddenly and used his full speed to finally catch her. He used the rest of his, much-appreciated, strength to keep the squirming child in his arms.  
  
"No! Let me go, Trunks!" Bra screamed. She struggled with all her might, punching at his arms and trying to kick anywhere she could, but it was no use.  
  
Trunks carried her up to her room, occasionally knocking things off tables from all the struggling and flailing. Finally when he kicked the door open and made it into her bedroom, he threw her on the bed and began tickling her mercilessly. "I'll stop if you promise to go to bed!" he said, ducking and dodging her kicking feet as she squirmed around on the bed.  
  
Bra was squealing from the pain in her ribs, plus the fact that she knew she couldn't do anything to get away. "Ok, ok!! All right, I'll go to bed, just stop!" she shrieked between gasps of breath and bursts of laughter.  
  
Trunks grinned and stopped, pulling his arms away from her. He looked at her another moment before pulling down the top of the covers in a move to tell her to get into bed.  
  
Bra sighed and looked down before reluctantly crawling under the covers. She gave her best pouty face as she scooted down further under the blankets and laid her head back on the pillow.  
  
"Ah, now don't give me any of that. No." Trunks said and finished tucking her in. He grinned playfully down at her before turning off her nightstand lamp. "Goodnight, Bra."  
  
Bra yawned, despite her attempts at suppressing it. "Goodnight." She rolled over on her side, facing the door. The bright moonlight shone clearly through her window, casting dark shadows of the curtains that were pulled to the side and the top corner of her bed.  
  
Trunks smiled and turned around to leave, closing the door on his way out. He straightened picture frames and put random nick-knacks back on the tables as he went down the hallway. He slid down the stairway banister to the living room and jumped over the back of the couch, landing on the soft cushions, and, by habit, propped his feet up on the coffee table. "Aw, man." he muttered. With a heavy sigh he got up, flipping over throw pillows and such in search of the remote control. After finally finding it underneath one of the sofas, he repositioned himself on the couch and turned on the TV. He leaned back in relaxation to watch wrestling, chuckling quietly to himself as he watched the intense 'fights' go on.  
  
Bra lay in bed, staring at the wall in front of her. She blinked drowsily before finally allowing her eyes to close completely, but forcing herself to stay awake as long as possible. She exhaled in a contented sigh and muttered, "I wonder what Mommy and Daddy are doing." Suddenly her eyes shot open as she sensed she was being watched. Her heart pounded in her chest as her fear grew. She drew the covers up under her chin clinging to them with her hands. It's just my imagination. That's all. I'm just imagining things. she told herself silently, yet she couldn't shake the feeling. Her body froze as she became more and more aware that she was not alone. 


	10. Realization

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 10 - Realization  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
"This is pathetic." Trunks said with a laugh as he continued watching wrestling. He turned his head to look out the window at the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. "Hm, looks like it's going to rain soon." He said half-heartedly, turning back to the TV.  
  
Bra glanced around her room nervously, then leaned her head down to look at her bed. Suddenly her eyes darted up to her far wall and saw a distinct shadow of a person outside her window. She gasped and flipped over in the bed, leaning up a little. Thunder cracked loudly around the house as lightning streaked through the sky, illuminating the figure of the man hovering outside. Without warning, he punched the window, sending shattered glass all over the floor and on part of the bed. He broke through the window, staring down at Bra. She stared up at him in fear and tried to back away. As his hand gripped her arm, she let out a shrill scream.  
  
Trunks' head jerked up at the sound of her scream and was off the couch and running up the stairs in a heartbeat, knocking over the coffee table in the process. "Bra! What is it?!" He shouted in a panic. He got to her room at breakneck speed and skidded to a halt in front of the open door. He looked in horror at the sight of Bra's broken window, the scattered glass shards, and her bed sheets tangled in a heap, hanging off the side of the bed, as if there had been a struggle. The wind from the approaching storm blew through the curtains. "Oh no." he whispered, shaking his head. "NO!"  
  
"Trunks!!!" Bra shrieked from downstairs. She was frantic and crying.  
  
Trunks whipped his head around to face down the hall in the direction on the living room. "Bra!!" What is going on?? How did she get down there? He ran down the stairs, screeching to a halt at the bottom of them, staring onto the horrific scene. A tall man stood in the center of the room, holding Bra in his right arm, who was struggling against him. He stood at roughly 6' 5" with spiky black hair with silver streaks running through it. The stranger was dressed in a black, sleeveless shirt, black leather pants, and tall black boots that came midway up his lower leg. He also wore a black belt with a large, round silver buckle. A long, white, vest-like jacket accented the outfit, reaching down to his ankles. It had a tall collar that stood up, and short sleeves that jutted out from his shoulders, coming to a point. The inside of the jacket was black, flaring out slightly at his hips. He held his hand over Bra's mouth to prevent her from screaming again. All the fear in her was shown clearly in her tear- filled eyes. She gripped the man's hand desperately as she struggled to get free. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Trunks demanded, preparing himself in a fighting stance.  
  
He only smirked. "You'll know soon enough."  
  
Trunks stepped forward, clenching his fists, casting another glace at Bra, then back at him. "What are you doing with Bra?"  
  
The man stared at him. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you. And as for Bra," He tightened his grip on her, causing Bra to whimper. "I would forget about her."  
  
"Let go of my sister!!" Trunks screamed and leapt forward with his fist out in an attempt to punch him in the face.  
  
The smirk disappeared from his face as he frowned and looked down at him. "I warned you." He flared his energy, sending Trunks flying backwards across the room, and slamming into the far wall, knocking him unconscious.  
  
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Vegeta stood in silence. All around him was darkness. His eyes darted, searching for something, anything, around him. He was ready, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly he heard faint, erratic, breathing behind him; he could sense fear hanging in the air like a cloud. He turned around and found himself standing in Bra's bedroom. He saw her sitting up in her bed, staring at her window. He had only been standing there a couple seconds when a fist flew through her window. The sound of glass shattering exploded around him, cutting though the silence like a knife. A harsh wind blasted through the broken window, stinging his face with tiny fragments of glass. He shielded his face with his arms, staggering back a step. The wind then died down as quickly as it had started. The images seemed to move in slow motion as Bra cringed backwards, pulling a hand up in front of her face and shutting her eyes. Her shrill scream rang through Vegeta's ears. "Bra!!" he screamed, and tried to reach out for her. The whole image of her and her room seemed to be getting farther and farther away. He began running, but the scene was being pulled away from him. "Daddy!!!" he heard her scream out for him in hysteria. Vegeta skidded to a halt as she disappeared completely from sight, returning him to the black void of which he was in earlier. He turned around, searching frantically all around him. "No." he heard another voice say. He turned, seeing Trunks standing amongst the darkness, seeming to be staring at something distinct, though Vegeta could not see what it was. He could sense the panic rising in his son. Suddenly, the same forceful wind hit him from behind. "Ah!" he exclaimed and hunched forward, closing his eyes momentarily. The piercing sound of Bra screaming caused his eyes to shoot open again. He spun around, the images flashing in front of him wildly. He saw Trunks leap forward, yelling in anger. A muffled cry came next, seeming to happen more than once as it reverberated in his mind. The image changed and he watched as Trunks' head struck hard against a wall, causing him to let out a short cry of pain with his eyes shut tightly. Vegeta could do nothing but watch in terror as these images flew by him in a blur. The agonizing sound of his children's screams continued to repeat, coming from everywhere around him. He saw a flash of Bra's face; tears streaking down her cheeks, her eyes holding nothing but fear and desperation. He kept turning his head, looking for some way out of this. He saw Trunks again, his expression being one mixed with anger, fear, and a sense of helplessness. Vegeta's heartbeat pounded in his mind, yet not drowning out the sounds that were tearing at him, leaving him standing there knowing he could do nothing to stop it. He heard Bra crying. "Daddy!!!!" she shrieked again. He clenched his fists and shut his eyes, screaming as loud as he could to try and rid himself of this madness.  
  
Vegeta's own scream is what brought him back to reality. He sat straight up in bed with a gasp, the sheets falling down from his bare chest. His whole body, along with the sheets around him was drenched in a cold sweat.  
  
Bulma jerked out of her own peaceful sleep from Vegeta's screams. She rolled over to face him and sat up. "What is it, Vegeta? Another nightmare?" she asked sleepily, referring to the nightmares of his past he had every now and then.  
  
Vegeta breathed heavily and looked around the room. He shook his head and whispered "No.this wasn't like the others."  
  
"What? What do you mean?" Bulma asked. "Are you all right?" She watched as he got up and started throwing some clothes on, shaking his head in reply to her question. "The children."  
  
Bulma sat up straighter, her eyes getting wider. "What did you say?!"  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you, Bulma." He said, giving her a quick glance while pulling his shoes on. "I'm not sure what it is, but something bad has happened."  
  
"Oh my gosh! Vegeta, no!" Bulma exclaimed in terror. She jumped out of the bed and hurriedly put some clothes on as well, not questioning Vegeta's instincts.  
  
Vegeta looked across the room at Bulma and noticed her ring glowing brighter than it had been with a hint of yellow, showing her fear and anxiety. He crossed the room and grabbed her wrist, leading her out the door to the deck. He leaned down and picked her up by her legs, jumping up onto the railing and looking off into the sky in worry.  
  
A few bystanders looked up at them in shock. "S-Sir! Please get down!" one man pleaded up to him.  
  
Vegeta ignored them and glanced down at Bulma who looked up at him as well. She tightened her grip around his neck and faced forward again. He turned his eyes back to the sky ahead of them and flared his energy, shooting off into the night, leaving the people, that were standing around, gawking at the couple's unordinary departure.  
  
Bulma held on tight with one hand to her other wrist, her arms around Vegeta's neck. She looked up again into his eyes. Something must really be wrong to make Vegeta act this way. I can tell by the look in his eyes.   
  
What's going on? Vegeta asked himself silently. That dream I had. it reminded me so much of those visions I had before. He stared straight ahead of him in concentration, gaining speed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks slowly opened his eyes, groaning a little from the throbbing pain in the back of his head. He blinked and looked around the room at the mess, rubbing the spot that had hit the wall. Suddenly, remembering what had happened earlier, he sprang to his feet and ran upstairs, hoping by some miracle that Bra was asleep, safe in her bed. "Bra!!" he cried out, bursting into her room. In contrast to his hopes, however, her room was just how he had seen it earlier that evening when he found she had been taken. His eyes widened as the panic completely overtook him. The horrible truth started to sink in. He fell down onto one knee, his hand still on her doorknob, and his breath catching in his throat. He pulled himself up, his vision getting cloudy as tears formed in his eyes. He tried to force them back, but they remained, as he numbly staggered back to the stairs and made his way back down to the living room, his mind a blur. As he got to the foot of the stairs, he looked up in shock as the door burst open. "Dad?!" Trunks exclaimed, quite surprised to see him there.  
  
Vegeta ran into the living room, looking around quickly at the mess, then at Trunks. "What happened?!" he shouted.  
  
Trunks eyes were brimming with unfallen tears. His expression was one of stunned disbelief. He glanced down at the floor and around the room, then back up at Vegeta. He swallowed hard and whispered, "She's gone." 


	11. Who Is He?

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 11 - Who Is He?  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Bulma stood in the front doorway with her hand against the frame, staring into the room with fearful eyes. After standing still and quiet for a moment, she ran over to Trunks, tears falling away into crystal droplets behind her as she ran. "Oh Trunks!" she gasped out in exasperation, relieved to see him still alive. She drew him closer, her arms clutching him in protection.  
  
After giving another quick glance around the room, Vegeta grabbed Trunks' arm and pulled him away from Bulma to face him. "What happened?!" he shouted.  
  
Trunks bit his lower lip and turned his head sharply to avoid his father's hash stare, still struggling with the shock of it all, and the terrible feeling of panic that was in his stomach. "I.I don't know. I couldn't protect her. It was no match!" He talked in a quieter tone, "He took her."  
  
Vegeta clenched his fists and stepped forward. "Who?" he prodded eagerly, "Who took her?"  
  
Trunks looked back up at him and instinctively stepped back, then glanced around the floor as if in search for the words to describe it. "He never said a name. His power is like nothing I've ever seen before. He was far stronger than anyone we've ever faced in the past. Whoever he was, I have no doubt he'll be back."  
  
Bulma held one hand up to her mouth with wide eyes. This was the first she'd heard of Bra's disappearance. "No." she whispered quietly, her fingers twitching. Then she screamed out and shook her head hard. "NO!!" She ran past the two Saiyans and up the stairs to Bra's room, as if hoping this was all a terrible nightmare and her only daughter would still be sleeping soundly in her warm bed.  
  
Trunks turned his head as she disappeared around the corner at the top of the stairs. "Mother." he murmured.  
  
"Bulma!" Vegeta called before going after her. He stopped in front of Bra's open bedroom where Bulma was standing amongst the debris and broken glass. He moved forward so that he was standing with heels against the threshold. His eyes widened and a quiet gasp escaped his mouth as he stared around him at the scene that had been haunting his dreams.  
  
Bulma turned and looked at Vegeta standing in the doorway as the reality of the situation finally begin to sink in. After a moment of staring at him, she ran to him and buried her face in his shoulder, crying helplessly.  
  
Vegeta looked down at her, putting his arms around her back lightly and closing his eyes. He had noticed the bright blue light coming from the ring on her finger. A moment later, he looked back up at the room with cold, dark eyes filled with rage and determination. His muscles tensed and he gritted his teeth against the desire to release his anger now and destroy everything for a two-mile radius around him.  
  
Trunks had come upstairs and was now watching his parents, expressing the same anger and determination as Vegeta. After a minute, he turned and headed downstairs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks stood in the front yard, staring up at the dark sky with a mixture of sorrow and anger in his eyes, as the wind blew coldly from the east.  
  
Vegeta suddenly walked out of the house and over to Trunks.  
  
"How is she?" he asked without needing to turn around to see who was coming out.  
  
Vegeta paused in his step, keeping his eyes fixed on the waving grass ahead of him. "She's sleeping."  
  
Trunks drew his clenched fist up in front of him and gritted his teeth in anger. "I should have been able to do something. If only I had been more prepared!" he cursed himself. An aura flickered into sight around him as his hair rose into the air from the wind caused by his increasing ki. "Darn it!!" he screamed out. His eyes were filled with fury and started to flash between blue and teal as his anger continued increasing at the thought of the way he had been helpless to protect his sister and how he had let his parents, mainly his father, down. He crouched a little, with fists still clenched tightly in front of him. His aura turned gold as his hair also changed from the usual soft, lavender strands to the gold spikes of a Super Saiyan. He looked up into the sky as lightning sparked around his body from his energy, and screamed in rage. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!!"  
  
Vegeta stood in the same place behind Trunks, his hair whipping around from the incredible energy being exerted from his son. He suddenly blurred in front of him, gripping his upper arms forcefully. "Save your energy, boy!" he shouted to the enraged Trunks. "If this bastard is truly as powerful as you say he is, then you'll need all your strength when the time comes." He lowered his arms back to his sides.  
  
Trunks stared back at him, falling out of his Super Saiyan form, obviously understanding his father's words, and dropped to the ground on one knee. He pounded both fists against the ground, leaving small craters where he had struck.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Goku, are you all right? What wrong?" Chi-Chi questioned, sitting up next to her husband, looking at him with a hint of worry.  
  
Goku sat up in bed as well, staring forward with a surprised and troubled expression. "I. I don't know. Some incredible power. at Capsule Corp, but I can't sense it anymore. All I feel now is Trunks, I think. His ki level just increased dramatically then dropped back to normal again." Goku got out of bed, wearing only his boxers, and started to get dressed in his usual orange gi.  
  
"Goku, where are you going?" Chi-Chi asked while she watched him quickly get dressed.  
  
Goku didn't look up at her, the same serious and troubled expression on his face. He tugged his boots on and tied the strings securely. "I have to go see what'd been happening over there. I don't have a good feeling about this." He answered and straightened up, walking over to the foot of the bed. He turned and looked at her. "Stay here, Chi-Chi. I'll be back shortly." With that, he touched his two forefingers to his forehead and disappeared seconds later.  
  
Chi-Chi continued to stare at where he had been standing before looking down at the covers, letting out an exasperated sigh. She hated when he left like that because he had a tendency to not come back for quite a while. Still, she feared for Bulma and the rest of them at Capsule Corp. She had seen that look in Goku's eyes before and knew that something was always terribly wrong when he acted that way. She understood that Goku felt he had to go see what was happening and gave a silent prayer that everything was all right.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks was now sitting under a tree in the front yard, leaning against the trunk with one knee drawn up. He stared forward at the ground in concentration, images of the strange and horrible man who had taken his sister. Vegeta had left a while ago, obviously wanting to be alone and think. The wind blew from Trunks' left, sending strands of his hair flying back and forth in front of his eyes, occasionally smacking his face with a sting, though he ignored it.  
  
Goku suddenly appeared in the yard. He glanced around while lowering his fingers. As he was about to turn and run inside the building, he saw Trunks by the tree and ran over to him instead. "Trunks!"  
  
Trunks turned his head a little toward Goku at hearing his voice, but kept his eyes on the ground. "Goku."  
  
"Trunks, what happened? I felt a tremendous power level from over here. What's going on? Is everyone all right?" he asked and kneeled down next to him.  
  
Trunks clenched his teeth and turned his head sharply back to the side at hearing the questions he regretfully knew the answers to.  
  
Goku leaned his head down a little in response to Trunks turning away and looked up at him, speaking in a softer tone. "Trunks.?"  
  
He let out a loud growl of frustration. "This is all my fault! I couldn't do anything to stop him! I was helpless, like a little child!! I couldn't protect her, Goku! I couldn't help her at all!" he yelled out and made yet another crater in the ground with the side of his fist.  
  
Goku blinked and looked from the hole on the ground to Trunks again. He talked in a quiet voice, wary of Trunks' anger and concerned. "Trunks, I don't think I understand. Who is this person you're talking about, and what do you think is your fault?  
  
Trunks turned his head up to look at him. "He took Bra, Goku."  
  
Goku's eyes widened as he let out a gasp of surprise. "What?!"  
  
Trunks' eyes narrowed as he continued. "She's been kidnapped, and I have no idea where he took her or why. I don't know anything about this guy except that he's incredibly strong." Trunks' hands shook slightly from the muscle tension all through his body.  
  
Goku stared in shock with wide eyes before looking down at the ground and falling over in a sitting position. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke "Where's Vegeta and Bulma?" he looked back up at him.  
  
"Mom finally fell asleep, I think. Dad flew off in that direction." He indicated by tilting his head to the north. "I can guess what he's doing. I've been feeling his energy fluctuate for a while." He answered with a sigh, staring back at the ground.  
  
I hope we will be able to win this fight. From the power I felt, I don't think this is going to be an easy one. But I must keep thinking positively. "Don't worry, Trunks." Goku said reassuringly. "He'll show up again, whoever he is, and when he does, we'll be ready for him."  
  
Trunks lifted his head again, staring off into the dark sky ahead of him with a stern expression. "I hope so." 


	12. Betrayal

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 12 - Betrayal  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Bra slowly opened her eyes, awakening from her unconsciousness. "Trunks." she mumbled and grunted slightly as she pushed herself into a sitting position. She rubbed the back of her head while glancing around the room she was in, trying to get her bearings. She found herself in a fairly large, cold, and empty chamber with nothing really to be seen but a heavy steel door on one wall. Her head snapped up at the sound of the door swinging open, revealing the same man who had broken into her room.  
  
The man stepped into the room, letting his eyes rest only briefly on her small form, before closing the door behind him. After the startling loud echo died away, he turned to face her, saying, "Well, I see that you're awake."  
  
Bra frantically backed away until she hit the wall. She half yelled, half pleaded up to the man. "Get away from me!"  
  
He ignored what she said and started to walk over, stopping a couple of feet in front of her with his arms at his side.  
  
Bra stared up fearfully into the cold, downcast gaze of his pale blue eyes.  
  
He narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke. "Listen and listen well. I'm going to make this quite simple the first time. I want some answers from you and no trouble. If you refuse to cooperate or defy me at all, I will make your life a living nightmare.  
  
Bra's eyes widened from her increasing fear as she began to whimper.  
  
"Shut up!" the man shouted. "I am NOT going to stand here and listen to your whining!" He exhaled a deep, ragged sigh and folded his arms, still staring down at her. "Now answer me this. Where is the Jilkion Stone?"  
  
Bra blinked in slight confusion. "Wh-What?"  
  
"Don't play dumb!" he yelled and stepped forward, leaning down a bit, and grabbed her hair, pulling her upper body away from the ground until she nearly screamed. "Now you don't want that pretty little face of yours to get torn up, do you? If you don't tell me what I want to know, I can assure you that you'll regret it."  
  
Bra squirmed in his grasp, forcing back the tears of pain and fear. She wasn't going to cry.  
  
"I know he has it. Tell me where it is!" he demanded, jerking her again.  
  
"Ah! Ow!" She yelped and grabbed his hand to try and pry his fingers away from her hair and release the pain. "I don't know who you're talking about!"  
  
"Your father, brat! I know Prince Vegeta has the Jilkion Stone, and if you don't tell me where it is right now, I'm going to have to resort to more drastic measures!" the man yelled with impatience and irritation.  
  
Bra looked back up at him with gleaming eyes filled with worry. "Daddy? You leave my daddy alone, you hear me?! He doesn't have your stupid stone!" she yelled, still struggling to get free of the death grip he had on her hair.  
  
The man smirked in amusement, before hardening his expression to one of anger. "I don't believe you are in the position to be making threats, kid."  
  
Bra shut her eyes and whimpered quietly from the numbing pain in her head.  
  
The man looked down at her in disgust before standing up, letting go of her hair and gripping her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh. "Hm." Suddenly, he jerked her completely off the floor and, with a good amount of energy, threw her little body against the wall.  
  
Bra slammed into the wall with her back, letting out a short cry of pain, before falling to the floor in a heap. She landed hard, face down, with a sickening thud.  
  
He narrowed his eyes down at her form and spoke in a low, deadly tone. "Mark me, girl, this isn't over." With that, he turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him, leaving a feeling of tense fear in the air as if he were still there.  
  
After a moment, Bra moved slightly, turning her head a bit in her trembling position on the floor. She spoke with a voice barely audible, "Daddy."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku stood in the front yard of Capsule Corp., debating on what could be done at this point.  
  
"No! I refuse to just sit here and do nothing when we could be out there finding him!" Vegeta shouted, mainly to Goku.  
  
"Look, I know you're upset, Vegeta." Goku reasoned. "But we don't even know what to look for, or where! He might not even be on the planet for all you know. We just have to wait for something to present itself."  
  
The wind suddenly picked up. Everyone stopped talking and shielded their faces against it. Without warning, the wind exploded from somewhere very close, sending the air rushing violently all around them. Everyone's heads snapped up as they all felt the incredible power that was so high it made their stomachs turn. They spun around, looking up into the sky at the source of the energy. Their eyes all came to rest upon the man hovering above them, his arms crossed over his chest and an evil smirk on his face.  
  
"Well, look who it is." He said mockingly, gazing down at the three Saiyans.  
  
Trunks' face twisted in rage after the initial shock wore off. "YOU!!!" Without hesitation, he blasted off the ground, going Super Saiyan, and charged at the man with an insane burst of power.  
  
The man raised an eyebrow in surprise while staring down at him with a frown. He put up an effortless energy shield. The power of Trunks' attack collided with that of the shield, which backfired on him, sending him flying back towards the ground.  
  
Goku flew up to catch him, the force of his body causing him to fall back, landing roughly on the ground. He stood back up, helping a slightly dazed Trunks up as well.  
  
The man stared down at him with a smirk, chuckling quietly. "It's useless, boy. Give it up while you still can. You can't even touch me."  
  
Vegeta, who had only briefly averted his eyes from the stranger when Trunks had been thrown back, stared back up at him now. His fists tightened at his side, fury shown on his face. He yelled up at the man through clenched teeth, "Where's Bra?! If you've hurt her in any way, I swear I'll--!!"  
  
The man interrupted him with a laugh. "Now, Vegeta, I don't think anything you say will truly frighten me. I only came here to talk." He paused for a moment. "Your daughter is with me, and I'll be honest, she's not in the best of conditions right now."  
  
Vegeta growled loudly. "Why YOU!"  
  
"And she will remain with me until I get what I want." He added sharply.  
  
"And what is that?" Vegeta snapped back.  
  
"You should know." He replied. "But before we get to that, I should introduce myself. My name is Altair."  
  
Vegeta's eyes twitched as he heard the familiar name.  
  
He grinned down at them. "I'm a Saiyan."  
  
Everyone froze, all sharing the same shocked expression. Vegeta had a distant look in his eyes, as if he were trying to remember something from long ago, fighting with the shadow of a memory that nagged at the back of his mind. He blinked and shook his head a bit, regaining his composure. "Why are you here? I demand an answer!"  
  
"All in due time, Vegeta." Altair responded calmly. "As a mater of fact, that's precisely why I came here."  
  
Trunks and Goku kept their fighting stances, even though it didn't seem like this guy intended on attacking right now. They stared up at him, glaring daggers.  
  
Altair was looking only at Vegeta now, ignoring the other two. "Vegeta, don't you recognize me?" he asked in a mocking tone, narrowing his eyes. "It seems you have forgotten a lot of things from our past." His eyes suddenly hardened, boring into Vegeta's shocked ones, his anger growing the more he spoke. "Though, I'm sure you haven't completely forgotten that day. The day you murdered my brother for the Jilkion Stone."  
  
**Flashback**  
  
"Come on, Kantar! We're late." Altair whispered loudly through the shadows of dusk. He was wearing a simple gi of a deep green shade and black boots. A makeshift belt of white cloth was tied around his waist. His unruly black spiky hair with faint silver highlights hung down in his eyes. "We were supposed to meet Vegeta at Kyuushi Cliff ten minutes ago!"  
  
Kantar grinned and chuckled while running to catch up with Altair. He was dressed in a dark blue gi the same style as his brother's. He wore black boots, similar to Altair's, as well as a lighter blue belt around his waist. A dark blue bandana on his forehead completed his outfit. The short bangs of his hair hung partway over the bandana to his eyes, the rest reaching out to tall black spikes in all directions. "Boy, I can't wait until we finally have the Jilkion Stone! This will prove to Father that we're not as worthless as he always says we are."  
  
"Yeah I know! This is going to be great!" Altair agreed, grinning back at his brother as they kept running.  
  
Kantar smirked to Altair's back. "Of course, I'm going to use it first."  
  
Altair skidded to a halt and spun around, nearly causing Kantar to slam into him. "What?! Why do -you- get to use it first? What, because you're twelve and I'm only eight, right? That's a stupid reason! You use that for everything! Anyway, Vegeta is -my- friend. We wouldn't even be getting the Stone if it weren't for me!" he protested insistently, scrunching up his face in disagreement.  
  
Kantar smiled down at his younger brother. "Ha, that's only because Prince Vegeta is only nine. I don't care to hang around you two all the time. Ah, but I might let you get a hold of it for a little while anyway. We'll just have to see who's tougher." He put a hand on Altair's head and ruffled his hair a bit before taking off at a run again. "Come on or we'll really be late!" he called back.  
  
Altair half-smiled before jetting after Kantar. "Hey!" he shouted up to him, catching up. "Why do you think he wanted to meet us at Kyuushi Cliff? That place is in the middle of nowhere."  
  
"How should I know?" Kantar replied, glancing over at Altair as he came up beside him. "He's -your- friend, remember?"  
  
Altair sighed. "Oh never mind."  
  
Kantar shrugged and the two boys fell into silence as they neared the tall cliff.  
  
Vegeta stood at the top of the cliff, his tail wrapped idly around his waist, and the wind blowing his hair softly. His arms were crossed and a frown was shown on his face. "Where are they?" he muttered impatiently with a sigh. He saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned his head as Altair and Kantar came running up the incline to where he was standing.  
  
"Hey Vegeta! Sorry we're late." Altair said as he came up and stopped, bending over, supporting his arms on his knees to catch his breath.  
  
Kantar came up seconds later and stopped next to his brother, showing no signs of exhaustion. He nodded towards Vegeta in way of greeting, wrapping his tail around his waist as well.  
  
Vegeta returned the nod and looked down at Altair who was still bent over, panting slightly. He shook his head with a quiet grunt and uncrossed his arms, before walking down the slight slope towards the two.  
  
Altair straightened up with a wide grin. "So do you have it?" he asked.  
  
Vegeta stopped a couple of feet in front of him. He blinked and glanced down at his closed hand. "Of course I do." He said, lifting his arm out towards Altair with his fist closed.  
  
Kantar and Altair glanced at each other briefly and grinned. Altair stepped up to Vegeta while Kantar stayed off to the side. "Great!" he said excitedly, reaching out to take the stone, the tip of his tail twitching in anticipation.  
  
Instead of dropping the small jewel into Altair's eager hands, however, he opened his empty hand in his friend's face, palm facing forward.  
  
Kantar's eyes twitched in surprise.  
  
"What the?" Altair asked, stepping back and looking at Vegeta in confusion. "Vegeta, what are you doing? Where's the stone? I thought you said you had it."  
  
The young prince stared down the length of his arm into Altair's eyes. "Sorry. But you'll just get in the way."  
  
Altair dropped his arms to his sides and stared back at him blankly. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Vegeta started charging a small ki blast in the palm of his open hand, speaking as it grew in size. "I've realized that you only hold me back from living up to the expectations of a Saiyan Prince." He explained in a tone that held no remorse.  
  
Altair's eyes widened as he froze for a moment from the shock of his words.  
  
"Good-bye, old friend." Vegeta said with a half-smirk before firing the blast straight at him.  
  
The brief moment of Altair's immobility was enough to ensure that he wouldn't be able to move fast enough to dodge. "NO!!" Kantar screamed out, leaping to his brother and pushing him out of the way, just before the blast hit him, taking it in his own chest.  
  
Altair landed on the ground and flipped back over just in time to watch in horror as Kantar fell lifelessly to the ground, blood already pouring from his body and surrounding him in a puddle of crimson. "Kantar." Altair whispered as he scrambled over to his fallen brother, panic rising inside him and tears brimming his eyelids. Blood soaked into the knees of his pants as he knelt next to Kantar in stunned terror, unable to believe what just happened. "Kantar!! NO!!" he screamed out, slightly shaking his brother's body. He whipped his head around to glare at Vegeta, who stood with his arms folded again, showing no signs of shock or regret. Altair's eyes flared as he leaped to his feet. "Vegeta!!" he yelled at him. "How could you?!!"  
  
In a raging fury, Altair charged at him, surprising Vegeta slightly. He jumped and knocked the young Prince to the ground. Vegeta landed and in the same motion, brought his knees up and kicked Altair off him, sending him flying a few yards behind him and landing hard on his back. As he rolled over to stand up again, Vegeta was already quickly upon him. The Prince sent a swift and powerful kick to the boy's ribs, which sent him sailing through the air to the top of the cliff. He skidded to a halt, stopping dangerously close to the edge. Altair heaved a bit and gagged, the results of the two harsh kicks he took in the chest. He turned his head down and coughed, feeling the rush of blood flow over his tongue, part of it trailing down his chin, the rest splattering on the ground in front of him. Without hesitating further, Altair sprung back to his feet, fueled by his insane anger and desperation, and spun around, narrowly avoiding another kick that would have sent him flying far over the narrow edge of the high cliff. He glimpsed for a moment into Vegeta's eyes before the Prince swung his right fist at him. Altair caught it, as well as the following left handed punch. They pulled their hands away and locked fingers, both pushing against each other with all their energy. He looked at Vegeta, still pushing against him. "Why---Why are you doing this?!" Altair choked out as he felt his feet slowly begin to move backwards through the dirt towards the edge of the cliff. "I already told you! You would've only held me back all my life." Vegeta answered. "Besides, you didn't -really- think I was going to give it to you, did you?" he added with an amused smirk. Altair's eyes twitched slightly as he focused more on staying on the cliff than the fact that he had been horribly betrayed by, who he thought was, his best friend. After another moment of struggling against each other, Altair's heels were beginning to move off the edge behind him. "Give it up!" Vegeta shouted at him. "You cannot overpower me!" Suddenly, the rocks under Altair's right foot crumbled, causing him to lose his balance. Vegeta seized the opportunity and tightened his grip on Altair's hands, pulling him forward. He stared down into his eyes and smirked slightly before shoving him far off the cliff. He stood and watched as Altair fell the fifty feet to the ground below, listening to him scream all the way down. After a moment of staring down at what he could see of Altair's body, from where he stood, he turned and walked away.  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
"You thought I had died that night, but you were wrong. I saved myself by using the last of my energy to prevent my body from hitting the ground at full force." Altair spoke down to Vegeta, who still stood with Goku and Trunks on the ground. "Shortly after I awoke, I left the planet in rage, vowing that one day I would avenge Kantar's death and make you pay for your betrayal."  
  
Trunks side-glanced at his father for a moment, before returning his stare back up to Altair. He, as well as Goku, was shocked to hear of the connection between him and Vegeta.  
  
Vegeta had no words. He remembered it all clearly now, as he stared into Altair's eyes, seeing the same look in them that he saw after Kantar had been killed. Of course I wouldn't have given them the stone! With that kind of power, it wouldn't be long before I would be taking orders from him! Vegeta thought to himself, noting what he had said to Altair on the cliff that night.  
  
Altair held Vegeta's stare, his eyes showing Vegeta nothing but the truth in his statements and the eagerness to make him suffer in repayment for how his life had been ruined. He no longer showed amusement in his surprise. "And I will," he continued with a slightly mocking tone, "-old- friend." With that, he vanished in a quick blur of light. 


	13. Reminiscence

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 13 - Reminiscence  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
The last traces of gold from the sunset vanished over the horizon. The beginnings of a light storm cloud could be seen in the distance, showing off its gray linings.  
  
Trunks fell over onto the couch, letting out a sigh. "It's all just a little overwhelming. I mean, everything has just happened so fast." He said quietly to himself.  
  
Goku stood in front of the couch with his arms folded, looking down at the floor in thought. He then looked up at Trunks seriously. "We need to get some more information about this from Vegeta, but." he trailed off, glancing out the window to where Vegeta still stood in the yard, staring at the ground, then looked back down to the floor.  
  
Trunks sighed again and leaned back. "I know."  
  
After a few moments of silence, Trunks and Goku heard the front door open.  
  
Goku looked up and unfolded his arms, watching Vegeta as he slowly walked inside.  
  
Trunks sat up a little more and leaned forward, looking at his father, as well.  
  
Vegeta stepped in the doorway with his hand still resting on the door, staring at the floor before closing the door behind him. He walked into the room, passing Goku and Trunks, to the far wall and leaned against it. He folded his arms loosely, never making eye contact with the others.  
  
Trunks and Goku watched his every move as he came into the area. An awkward silence filled the room as the two watched Vegeta intently, who was staring down at the floor in front of him, silently, as if in deep thought.  
  
Goku cleared his throat. "Uh, Vegeta.?" he started, hesitantly.  
  
"Don't bother, Kakarott." Vegeta said, cutting him off. "I don't remember much from back then, but I will tell you what I do remember." He turned his head to look out the window next to him, with a sigh, as he started talking.  
  
Bulma lay in bed with one arm behind her head, playing with the ring Vegeta had given her by lazily twirling it around her fingers up in front of her face. She had awoken from her stressful sleep not too long ago. After a while, she got out of the bed, slipping the ring back safely onto her finger. She left the room and walked down the hallway towards the stairs. As she walked down the stairs, she began hearing Vegeta's voice from the next room, talking about something she couldn't exactly make out. She peeked around the corner and saw Goku and Trunks eagerly listening to Vegeta as he continued, staring out into the darkening sky. She happened to hear the last part of what he was saying. "I know this doesn't change anything now," he paused a minute and sighed slightly. "but I do regret a lot of things I did in the past." Bulma's eyes widened a bit in surprise at what he had said. As long as she'd known him, regret was never something that was very commonly linked to his personality. She brought a hand up to her mouth and sat down on the stairs. Vegeta. She quietly leaned against the wall, out of sight, and continued listening to him on the other side of the room.  
  
"Things happened a bit differently from my point of view." Vegeta continued, still staring outside. "Yes, Altair and I were friends when we were young. Then one day, he started telling me about the situation with his father.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Vegeta and Altair both sat on one of the many large rocks in the area surrounded by trees. Vegeta had his right leg pulled up to him and his left leg hanging off the side of the rock. Altair was positioned next to him, sitting Indian-style, with his elbows resting on his knees, staring at the ground below them.  
  
Vegeta gnawed ravenously on a large chicken leg, making smacking and loud chewing noises occasionally.  
  
Altair stared at Vegeta incredulously, producing a sweatdrop. After a few more seconds of staring blankly, he faced forward again and spoke hesitantly. "So. how have you been the last few days? With the wars and everything, I'm sure you and your father have been pretty busy.  
  
Vegeta just shrugged and grunted in reply.  
  
Altair looked back down at the ground again. "Things haven't been going too well with my father, lately."  
  
"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked, looked over at him out of the corner of his eye.  
  
He sighed and straightened up, keeping his hands in his lap. "Well, for the past several days, all he's been saying is how Kantar and I never do anything useful and how we're getting weak and.. and stuff like that."  
  
Vegeta tossed the bone, he was holding, to the ground and lowered his arm to his lap, turning his head a bit more to look at Altair. "Well, are you?"  
  
"Of course not! We train every day, Vegeta. And we're always doing whatever he asks us to do! Altair lowered his voice, talking quieter. "He's been like this before, but it just seems to be getting worse recently."  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
It had started to rain. The sound of beads of water, lightly pelting against the glass of the window, could be heard behind Vegeta's words. "Altair always felt that he could confide in me, for some reason." He said with a shrug. "He told me everything that happened."  
  
Goku had sat down on one of the chairs adjacent to Trunks, both still listening carefully.  
  
After standing back up, Bulma quietly crept back up the stairs towards her lab, as she had decided to work on one of her many projects in hopes of keeping her mind off the worry and stress from the recent events.  
  
"But then one day it occurred to me that things needed to change." Vegeta went on.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Prince Vegeta walked down the hallway of the palace, not really going anywhere particular at the moment. He stopped outside of the conference room, hearing his father's voice inside. He stared down at the floor, listening to what he was saying to the High Officials in the room. He heard King Vegeta talking about increasing the average amount of work they do and the need to get faster at concurring planets. The young Prince knew that they had been falling a bit behind and that this was the meeting his father always held when there was an important matter to be taken care of. "Hmm." He raised his head and continued down the hallway.  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
"Father always took care of things as soon as they happened. That's how we always stayed so powerful." Vegeta explained, a little surprised at how easily the memories were coming back to him now. "He never let anything get out of his control. And that's when I became aware that my friendship with Altair had been keeping me away from my duties as a Prince. I finally realized that I had to put an end to our friendship." He sighed irritably. "And that's when things got so complicated."  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Altair was sitting on a branch in a tree, casually swinging his legs back and forth. Vegeta stood on the ground, leaning up against the trunk of the tree, with his arms folded in a relaxed position and one foot crossed over the other.  
  
"You know, Vegeta. I've been thinking." Altair said, suddenly breaking the comfortable silence.  
  
"Hmm?" he responded.  
  
"The situation with my father has been getting a lot worse lately." He began. "Kantar and I have been doing everything we can to try to change his mind about us, but he just won't listen. So, I got an idea, and I was hoping you would help me out with it."  
  
"Well, what is it?" Vegeta broke in.  
  
"Kantar and I were talking about it too, and we decided that there was only one way to show our father that he is wrong about us." He took a breath before continuing. "If you could get us the Jilkion Stone.."  
  
Vegeta raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Then we could train with it and finally be able to prove to our father that we're not as weak and helpless as he keeps saying we are.  
  
Vegeta blinked in surprise at the idea and lowered his head to look at the ground, staying quiet for a moment. After a few moments of silence, he said, "You know that only members of the Royal Family are allowed to even touch that stone, Altair."  
  
The young boy jumped off the branch and landed in front of Vegeta, frowning.  
  
Vegeta looked up at him with a bit of surprise.  
  
"Of course I know that, Vegeta! But you HAVE to do it! I need your help with this or else neither my brother nor me will ever get the approval of our father!"  
  
Vegeta just glared back at him very seriously, without saying a word.  
  
It took a second before Altair realized what he'd just said. He gasped quietly and took a step back, lowering his head to look at the ground. His eyes twitched slightly as he spoke a little quieter. "Please."  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
The rain had withdrawn to a drizzle, and the bright moonlight began to break through the thinning clouds. Vegeta's face was now hidden in shadow as he spoke. "Yet, things couldn't work out the way he wanted them to. I agreed to get him the Jilkion Stone simply because it was the only way I could think of to sever the connection between Altair and me and get back to what was really important at the time. All I meant to do was scare him. I never meant to hurt him or his brother! I never even counted on Kantar being there in the first place! Altair obviously doesn't understand this now, but if his infernal brother hadn't jumped in the way, my blast would have gone right by him!" he growled out in increasing anger and frustration, tensing his muscles. "I didn't have any intention on killing either of them that night," he repeated, "but after I saw what happened to Kantar, I knew I had no choice.. but the finish the job."  
  
Trunks realized he'd been holding his breath for the last several seconds. After a moment of silence he took a breath and said, "So, this whole thing has been a big misunderstanding?"  
  
Vegeta nodded once, gritting his teeth. He was getting so irritated as he realized more and more how stupid it was that such a terrible problem had been created all because of one little accident that happened when they were just kids.  
  
Goku cleared his throat a little. "And so he took Bra.for revenge? How does he know about her, though? Where has he been all this time after the planet's destruction?"  
  
Vegeta let out a growl and then sighed. "I don't know. I don't know anything yet." He admitted through clenched teeth and with a voice filled with anger and determination. "But I assure you, when I find out," he paused and turned to look at Trunks and Goku, the bright light of the full moon shining clear on him through the window. Dark, black shadows were thrown across portions of his face, the moonlight seeming to illuminate his eyes. Trunks and Goku both felt the intense pressure of his stare and leaned back a little. Vegeta finished with certainty, "I'll make him pay." 


	14. The Worst Kind of Torture

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 14 - The Worst Kind of Torture  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Author's Note: Hi everyone! Just a quick note to remind everybody that I have a Mailing List and if you'll post your e-mail address with your review, I'll add you so you'll get an e-mail every time we update. That's all! ^_~  
  
Bra screamed out as she was backhanded harshly across the face, once again.  
  
Altair leaned down in her face, gripping the arms of the cold metal chair that she was tied to. "Just tell me where the stone is!" He yelled at her. "You're not getting out of here until I get it!"  
  
Bra turned her head back around from the position she had remained in after the hit. She glared angrily at him through her fallen hair with narrow eyes. Her entire body, primarily her face, was covered in bruises and large cuts, dried blood clinging to her skin in some places. She spoke through clenched teeth in a quiet, raspy voice. "Even if I did know, I would never tell you."  
  
Altair remained leaned over, mere inches away from her face. He stood back up and took a step back, frowning. "I see you certainly have the stubbornness of Vegeta." He paused, and then added with a slight smirk. "It seems like you just need a little more motivation."  
  
Bra lifted her head a little to look at him more clearly. "What?"  
  
Altair then lifted his right hand in the air and cocked his wrist, flicking it back as he snapped his fingers, the sound echoing longer than a normal finger-snap would. Instantly the two vanished from their place in the room, reappearing a second later in a darker area.  
  
Bra blinked and looked around the dimly lit room. "Where is this place?"  
  
"This is just another part of the ship." Altair answered. "This is how I've been keeping track of Vegeta and his family for the last twenty years."  
  
Bra's eyes came to rest upon a large crystal ball that was hovering in front of her. She continued staring at it questioningly.  
  
Altair turned to look at her more directly, then also looked down at the floating ball. "And this.." He began, and walked up to it, standing on the opposite side as Bra. "is how I've been watching you."  
  
She continued staring at the ball, seeing nothing but a faint, blue fog within.  
  
Altair then waved a hand over the ball, causing the blue fog inside to swirl, then disappear. Suddenly a blurry image could be seen through the crystal that cleared seconds later.  
  
"Trunks..!" Bra exclaimed in surprise as she stared more intently on the ball, seeing her brother in their back yard training by himself.  
  
Altair held his hand out over the glass ball. He stared down at Bra with a hard expression. "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me where the Jilkion Stone is." He spoke, his voice eerily calm and emotionless, yet it held a dark and evil feeling beneath it.  
  
Bra looked up at him, a bit surprised and annoyed at his words. "How many times do I have to tell you?! I don't know anything about your stupid stone!!"  
  
Altair stared back into her eyes, narrowing his own slightly. Without another word, he touched one fingertip to the surface of the ball.  
  
Trunks hovered in the air, punching and kicking at his invisible opponents in training. As he yelled out with another punch, he suddenly froze. His pupils shrunk before he fell from his place in the air, landing on the ground hard. He supported himself on his hands and knees, breathing raggedly, as sweat dripped off his chin. "What.." He began quietly, taking a few more breaths, "was that?" After another moment, he started to stand up, putting a hand on the back of his head and cringing slightly. "It.." He hesitated, taking another breath, "It felt like my brain just froze."  
  
Bra stared into the ball in shock. "Trunks!"  
  
Altair continued staring at her with the same expression. "I'm going to ask you again. Where - is - the - Jilkion - Stone?"  
  
"What did you do to him??" Bra shouted at him in a panic. "You leave him alone!" She twisted and struggled against the ropes that bound her.  
  
"Hm." Altair kept staring down at her, and touched one fingertip to the ball again, holding it here a little longer than last time.  
  
Trunks was halfway between a standing and kneeling position when he froze once again and fell back down, catching himself on his forearms. He shut his eyes tight, letting out a short, weakened cry, and clenched his trembling fists.  
  
"No!! Stop it!!" Bra screamed out, her eyes wide, staring at her brother. She too, clenched her fists, but was not able to break through the ropes that terrible man had tied her with.  
  
After a few moments, Trunks stood back up again, his whole body quivering slightly. He shook his a head a little and stood still to regain his balance, moaning quietly, "Oooowww.."  
  
Bra brought her eyes back up, stopping briefly on Altair's hand that he held so dangerously close to the crystal orb, then looked higher, meeting the cold stare that he kept on her. She whispered, unable to tear away from his terrible gaze. "Please.."  
  
Altair's fingers wavered threateningly. "Are you going to answer me, then?"  
  
She was desperate and frantic. She had no answer to give him. Why can't he understand that?! Why won't he believe me?? She searched through her mind, urgently trying to come up with something that would stop him from killing her brother. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought. Her mind flashed back to everything she'd gone through since she was taken. She felt the rope burns that covered her arms, the sore feeling that was in her face and jaw, the sting of a split lip, and the numbing pain of one or two badly bruised ribs. But that didn't matter to her anymore. There was nothing she could do or say that would help. All she could do was sit, locked by the hard eyes of her captor, and watch.  
  
Altair stood through the silence for a minute before tensing the muscles in his arm. "I warned you." He raised his hand high, and brought it down, slamming his entire open palm on the crystal ball. For the first time, he broke the stare on Bra and looked into the ball as well, clenching his other hand into a fist and pressing against the surface of the crystal harder. Electricity crackled around the ball, lighting up the room in flashes.  
  
Trunks' eyes shot open as his entire body went rigid. After only a couple of seconds, his eyes grew wider and he took a few quick breaths. His hands pressed on the sides of his head as the incomprehensible pain overwhelmed him with its intensity. He screamed as loud as his lungs could handle, jerking back and forth, his eyes darting around crazily as his vision began to blur.  
  
"NOOO!!!!!" Bra pulled forward in the chair as the murderous torture began. She twisted violently from side to side as tears began streaming down her face. Her whole body went tense as she shut her eyes tightly from the horrifying scene. Trunks' awful screams filled her head and she knew she couldn't escape it. The tears came through her tightly shut eyes, as she couldn't control them any longer. Her body shook and twisted against the maddening cries of her brother. She clenched her teeth before screaming against it, only praying desperately that it would stop soon.  
  
Trunks had begun to lose control of himself. He gripped his hair, and continued screaming in agony, unable to stop himself. His body shook violently as he wrenched back and forth. Finally, he fell to the ground and released his hair, now blindly clawing at the dirt and grass around him. He pounded his closed fists into the ground and kept them there for a minute, as sweat ran down his face and neck.  
  
Vegeta stopped in the middle of a punch while training in the gravity room. He turned his head to the side, facing the door. "What the--?" He muttered to himself, his eyes showing his sudden surprise. He then headed for the door to go see what was going on.  
  
Bulma was working on one of her many projects in the lab. She could hear Trunks outside and said to herself. "That boy sure does get into his training." She put down what she was working on and walked over to the window to see him. She looked down to the yard and gasped slightly at what she saw. "Oh my gosh! Trunks!!" She exclaimed and ran out of the lab as fast as she could, heading downstairs. She burst through the front door just as Vegeta rounded the corner of the building. She held her hands up to her mouth, terror and worry showing on her face. "What's happening to him?!"  
  
Trunks had gone quite pale by now. He jerked his fists out of the ground and got back up to his feet with little effort. His fists went back to grabbing his hair and he continued screaming uncontrollably, his body still shaking.  
  
Vegeta stared at his son in shock and horror, not understanding it anymore than Bulma did. "Trunks!! What the heck is happening to you, boy?!" he shouted at him.  
  
Trunks didn't respond. He whipped around viciously, as if trying to shake something off of himself.  
  
Bulma took a step back, unable to bear the sounds of her son's insane cries. "Vegeta do something!!" She yelled frantically.  
  
Vegeta ran up to Trunks and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face him. He gasped slightly as he saw Trunks' eyes were nothing but white. "Trunks!!" he yelled again, hoping to get through to him.  
  
Trunks took a few sharp breaths and clenched his teeth. He was only able to last that long for a couple of seconds before he started screaming again. His arms shot out, grabbing Vegeta's shirt. He clawed at it crazily as tears fell from his empty eyes.  
  
"What?!" Vegeta leaned back and stared down at his son, more than a little startled. He grabbed Trunks by the shoulders and shook him, but was only met with him tightening the death grip he had on his shirt and twisting from side to side.  
  
"VEGETA!!!!" Bulma screamed from where she stood, hands still clasped up at her mouth and tears also in her eyes.  
  
"Ahh!" Vegeta could see no other choice. He pulled Trunks up from his semi-crouched position and hit him hard on the back of his neck.  
  
Trunks' screaming was cut off as he let out a slow, quiet cry. His fingers loosened on Vegeta's shirt and his face relaxed. He stood still for a moment before falling over backwards, hitting the ground hard, unconscious.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Altair brought his hands back down to his sides, still looking into the ball as the blue fog reappeared inside.  
  
Bra sobbed quietly, biting the inside of her lip to keep her from losing what sanity she had left.  
  
Altair stared down at her angrily. "Now you know what happens when you don't do as I say."  
  
Bra opened her eyes slightly, unable to see clearly. She then realized how hopeless her situation seemed at this point. If he wanted to, Altair could just keep doing that to everyone she knew and loved until she told him where the Stone was. But I don't know!! What if he does this to everybody? I can't do anything to stop him! Bra thought to herself. Her lip quivered and she let her head fall, crying harder, even though she tried to stop it.  
  
Altair tensed from the sound. "Shut.. up."  
  
Bra blinked the tears out and looked up at him. She could tell he was furious. His eyes seemed to burn through her with anger. She shook her head and let out a few more sobs. "Please.. leave them alone." Normally, it would bother her to plead like this, but it didn't matter now. She knew she couldn't stop him. Her breathing came in short, gaspy breaths as she tried to stop crying.  
  
"I said.. shut.. up!!!" he yelled at her in rage. Suddenly, the entire crystal ball shattered in the air from his power. The shards crashed down onto the floor around their feet.  
  
Bra cringed back in fear, shutting her eyes. She heard him move and quickly opened them to look up. He stood in the same place, only now holding one of the larger shards in his right hand. She looked back into his eyes and shook her head slightly. "Please.." she whimpered quietly, as she felt a chill wash over her from the look of rage in his eyes that she hadn't seen since she'd been kidnapped. So far, she'd noticed he hadn't lost his temper all that much. For the most part, he kept an eerie calmness about him, as if he knew she would give in eventually.  
  
Altair's eyes flared at the sound of her whimper. Suddenly, he crossed the space between them in 3 long steps, and grabbed her by the hair with his left hand. In one quick motion, he slashed across the left side of her face with the huge crystal shard.  
  
Bra screamed out, but immediately closed her mouth when she felt him jerk her head around to face him again. She could feel the deep gash already starting to bleed, causing her face to twitch slightly from the burning sting.  
  
He tilted her head back to look at her face and frowned. "You disgust me."  
  
Bra flinched as she felt a drop of blood fall from her jaw to her shoulder. She wanted so badly to look away, but he held her in place, and she feared that if she closed her eyes, he would only do worse. Then she heard the crystal shard hit the floor as he released her hair at the same time.  
  
He raised a hand up, never averting his eyes from her, and snapped his fingers in the same way he had earlier, leaving an echo that filled the room. Seconds later, they were back in the room she had been in before, still tied to the chair.  
  
She glanced around and got her bearings, trying to ignore the feeling of the blood as it continued running down her face. She watched as Altair suddenly moved from where he stood, walking around behind her. She was sure he was just going to knock her out so she braced for it. However, she nearly toppled over onto the floor as Altair suddenly broke the ropes that kept her hard against the chair. She moved her arms slowly, grimacing at the sore pain in the shoulders and forearms.  
  
Altair walked back in front of her. "Pathetic. I thought you were half- Saiyan." He muttered to himself. He started walking towards the door but stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, noticing he had her full attention again. "Perhaps I'll go toy around with your brother some more." He said with a smirk.  
  
"What?? No!" Bra exclaimed, shaking her head.  
  
Altair just chuckled and turned back around. "I'll be back for you." He said, and left, slamming the door shut behind him.  
  
Bra sat in silence for a moment, before jumping out of the chair and running over to the door. "Leave him alone! Leave my brother alone!!" she screamed, pounding on the door with her fists. She spun back around and put her hand to her face, feeling the sticky blood begin to dry. She pulled her hand away and slowly walked back over next to the chair and the pile of torn ropes, collapsing to the floor. She felt so tired. She wasn't sure if Altair really was going to go and hurt Trunks some more, but it would do her no good to scream about it in here. She looked at the blood on her hand, then wiped at her face several times, trying to clean off what she could of the blood there. Hopefully, the slash wouldn't leave a scar, and if so, not a very noticeable one. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to stretch her sore muscles, and laid her head down on her knees.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks opened his eyes slowly, struggling to focus his vision. He grunted a little as he felt the remnants of a bad headache. As his vision cleared, he saw Bulma anxiously standing over him with a worried expression. "What happened?" he asked, having to repeat himself after clearing his throat.  
  
"Oh Trunks! You're all right! I was so worried about you!" Bulma exclaimed.  
  
Trunks sat up, leaning back on his elbows. He blinked and looked around, realizing he was in one of the medical rooms. Then he saw Vegeta standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, but a look of concern in his eyes. Trunks rubbed the back of his head and asked again, "What happened?"  
  
"We should be asking you that question." Vegeta said. "We both ran outside when we heard you screaming. There was no getting through to you so I was forced to knock you unconscious.  
  
"Mm." Trunks replied, trying to think back to the event he was talking about. He sat up straighter in the bed, staring down at the covers.  
  
"Don't you remember anything, dear?" Bulma asked softly.  
  
"Well, a little." He answered. "All I can remember was being outside training. Then I fell out of the air. After that.. darkness." After another minute, he swung his legs over the bed and stood up, a bit shakily.  
  
"Trunks, lie down! You need to rest!" Bulma insisted.  
  
"I'm fine, Mom. My head hurts a little but that's all. I need to have some time alone. I'm going to go train some more." Trunks said simply, and left the room.  
  
Bulma followed him with her eyes. "I hope he's really all right." Poor Trunks. He's been blaming himself entirely for Bra's disappearance ever since it happened.   
  
Vegeta watched Trunks leave as well, without saying another word.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bra was sitting in the same position on the floor when Altair returned. She lifted her head up but only stared at the floor in front of her, not up at him. He walked into the room and stood a few feet away from her. After a few moments of silence, he spoke, his voice startling her. "I suppose you think this is as bad as it gets. You think you'll be able to make it just a little longer, then everything will be all right. You trust your father and your brother, don't you? You know they will come to save you eventually. You think you can survive until then? Or will you tell me where your father has kept the Jilkion Stone for all these years?"  
  
Bra tensed slightly and licked her lips, not replying to him.  
  
"Trust me, things can get a whole lot worse." He continued, his voice gaining a more deadly tone to it. "You'll break soon. Very soon."  
  
Bra's eyes widened momentarily, before narrowing again. She flinched in surprise as she heard the familiar sharp sound of Altair's finger-snap, and the sound of it echoing through the room. Suddenly she found herself floating in the air and jerked in a quick feeling of panic until she realized she was hovering without trying. She looked down at herself, then at her surroundings, seeing Altair hovering not too far away from her. They were in a large, desolate area surrounded by rocky cliffs. She then noticed that she was in some sort of bubble that she couldn't get through. "Wha-What the?"  
  
Altair looked over to her. "I have trapped you within a powerful shield that will prevent any and all physical contact, outside, from reaching you. It's as simple as that. You cannot interact outside of that shield, and no one can touch or hear you from here, except me, of course. Also, you are immobile. Only I have the ability to move you." He added with a smirk. "So don't count on anyone taking you while my back is turned."  
  
"No!" She shouted in frustration.  
  
Altair moved closer to her, still smirking. "Now all we need is for your brother to get here."  
  
"What are you going to do to him now?!" she shouted at him angrily through the bubble. "Just leave him alone! What did he ever do to you??"  
  
"It's not what he did. It's what your father did." Altair replied with a frown. "And this is worse than anything."  
  
Bra stared back at him lividly.  
  
"Bring him here."  
  
Bra blinked and stared at him in confusion. "What..?  
  
"You heard me." He said in a surprisingly calm tone. He lifted a hand up and touched the outside of her bubble lightly, sending electricity all around and through it. "Go ahead, scream for help! Call out for Trunks and bring him to me!"  
  
Bra bit down hard on her lip, eventually drawing blood. She moaned in her throat, and forced down the screams she wanted to release. I.. I can't scream! If I yell for Trunks now, and he comes, he'll only get hurt more! She shut her eyes tight and twisted to the side a little.  
  
Altair growled in impatience and intensified the shockwave greatly. "SCREAM!!!"  
  
Bra's eyes shot open, her entire body writhing and twisting in a terrible fit as she let out a blood-chilling scream.  
  
Altair smirked and continued the attack. "That's it."  
  
Trunks stopped midway through a punch, hanging in the air where he had resumed his training after his residual headache cleared. He heard a shrill cry in his mind, grasping his head and covering his ears as the sound only grew louder. He spun around in the opposite direction as a cold chill washed over him. "Bra.. That was Bra!!" he exclaimed in surprise and horror. Without another moment of hesitation, he took off at a blinding speed, in the direction that he sensed the incredible power.  
  
"Good." Altair said as he felt Trunks' in the distance. "He should be here any minute now." He grinned.  
  
Bra was lying down on the bottom of the orb, having collapsed after Altair stopped the attack, struggling to just remain conscious.  
  
Altair turns and moved away from Bra, noticing a glimmer in the distance. He folded his arms to wait for Trunks. A few seconds later, a huge gust of wind blasted past him with incredible force as Trunks appeared in front of him, stopping several feet away.  
  
Trunks stopped and looked up, immediately noticing his sister and gasped. "BRA!!" He yelled. Without another thought, he flew up to where she was and hit the bubble with his hands, bouncing back in surprise. He shook his head and flew up to it again, pressing against it hard with his palms and looked down at her. His mouth opened slightly in shock as he saw the condition she was in. From head to toe, she was covered in bruises and blood. Her clothes were ripped in several places and there was a huge gash across the left side of her face. She looked up at him, blinking out tears that ran across her face, landing silently on the bottom of her prison. Her expression changed to deep sadness as more tears fell. She stared at him through the impenetrable wall, knowing what would happen now that he was here, even though she was happy to see him again and that he was alive. Trunks growled in anger and punched at the outside of the sphere several times and screamed, "What the heck IS this?!" He stopped at the sound of Altair chuckling, and looked back down at Bra again.  
  
She slowly and weakly looked back up at him as well, raising her hand a few inches up toward him, and whispered raggedly, "Tr-Trun-Trunks.." She stammered. Trunks' eyes widened as he tried to make out what she was saying. Bra took another raspy breath and looked desperately up into his eyes. "R-Run!!" With that, her arm dropped from the air as she fell unconscious.  
  
Trunks gasped and lowered himself to get closer to where she was, and hit his open palm on the outside of the sphere again. "Bra! Bra, answer me, please!" he begged.  
  
"She can't hear you." Altair said mockingly from where he still hovered behind Trunks.  
  
Trunks slid his hand down the bubble, his expression turning dark with rage as he stared down at the form of his once carefree sister. He whipped around suddenly and stared at Altair, clenching his fists until they shook. He tilted his head down, his bangs falling partway over his eyes as he stared up through them, glaring menacingly at the man. "Bastard..You rotten bastard. How dare you do this is my sister!!" he screamed in a burst of anger.  
  
Altair folded his well-muscled arms over his large chest and smirked. "Heh. It was nothing, really." He replied.  
  
Trunks was no longer able to control his fury and let out a scream as his power level shot up drastically. His hair rose away from his head before flying up sharply into tall, golden spikes, as his eyes flashed from the normal blue color to a fierce teal. The aura around him exploded into a bright, golden light as wind whipped around them all. "I won't let you get away with this!!" he shouted at him while lifting his fists up in front of him.  
  
Altair uncrossed his arms and moved into a fighting stance as well, grinning evilly. "I was counting on that." 


	15. It’s Only A Game

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Mandy and Jennifer  
  
Chapter 15 - It's Only A Game  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you! Author's Note- Hi everyone! We apologize for the long periods of time between chapters but I promise things will pick up soon. I (this is Mandy by the way ^_^) will finally be getting out of school for the summer in about two more weeks. After that, there will be a lot more time for us to work on this story. I hope everyone's stayed with us and not left yet. ^_^; Okay, just wanted to let everyone know that things WILL be getting better in a couple more weeks so just bear with us, please. Thanks a lot. Enjoy the chapter and of course don't forget to review! Ja ne! ^^  
  
Altair flared his energy mockingly, preparing to fight.  
  
Trunks inhaled sharply as the rush of power, from his opponent, made the hair on his neck stand on end. He tried to keep his outward expression calm and serious, though. His face must have shown the brief wave of apprehension that went through him though, because he saw Altair cock an eyebrow, followed by amused laughter.  
  
"What was that?" he sneered, still smirking. "Are you afraid of me?" he laughed.  
  
Unbeknownst to Trunks, an energy shield had formed around the area to prevent any interference from others who might show up.  
  
Trunks growled deep in his throat, tilting his head down a bit and tightening his fists.  
  
Altiar lifted a hand and motioned for him to make to first move.  
  
Trunks' eyes flared as he let out a scream, charging forward at him with an insane burst of speed. He threw a punch with his right fist but hit nothing but air as Altair had already dodged it. Trunks spun around and looked for him, finding him a few feet away. He immediately shot several quick ki blasts in his direction, only to watch as Altair smacked them all away with one hand. Trunks was growing more and more frustrated. He let out a short growl as he increased his power even higher and rushed at him. The second before he hit him, Trunks blurred behind Altair. "Hyaa!!" he yelled and fired an immense blast to Altair's back. After releasing the energy, Trunks then blurred back in front of his opponent. In the brief moment that Altair was looking in the direction of the blast, Trunks slammed a massive punch to his stomach. Being so caught off guard, the warrior flew down towards the ground and landed hard. Without wasting any time, Trunks bolted over to Altair once again as he sprang up from the ground. He attempted to kick him in the chest but Altair caught his foot. He jerked his leg, pulling Trunks off balance and threw him against the side of a rocky cliff. Once Altair released him and watched as he hit the rocks with a crushing impact, he fired a continuous barrage of large, powerful ki blasts. He smirked cruelly as he heard the teenager scream from within the mass of explosions.  
  
Bra groaned slightly. She shifted so that she rolled off of her arm, which felt quite sore. Her head was throbbing and she felt stiff all over. She could definitely feel the pressure on her body that the constant beatings and random bolts of electricity that had been dealt to her were taking. As she slowly opened her eyes she let out a gasp, staring down from a place in mid-air. After a moment of panic, she remembered what had happened and where she was. With a great amount of effort, she rolled over onto her side and pushed herself up onto her elbow, staying propped up in that position. She winced at the pain that stabbed through her body like a thousand knives and looked around the area below her, wearily. As soon as her vision cleared itself, her eyes fell upon the scene between Trunks and Altair. "Ah!" she exclaimed in shock as she saw her brother being beaten mercilessly right in front of her by her captor. "N-No! Trunks!" she cried out weakly, pressing a hand against the inside of the bubble as tears began to form in her eyes. She couldn't let her brother be killed! But, there was nothing she could do. She stared helplessly down at the two fighters as she could tell Trunks' power level was slowly weakening.  
  
Altair stopped his stream of ki blasts and stared at the wreckage. After a minute of silence, Trunks suddenly burst from the thick cloud of smoke with his sword unsheathed. He ran at Altair, leaping into the air and coming down on top of him with his sword pointed down. Altiar, however, twisted to the side and avoided the blade, causing it to stab into the ground instead. Trunks landed behind it, still gripping the hilt firmly and jerked it out of the ground. Stealing the chance for Altair to make another move, he spun around, letting out a scream of fury, bringing his sword up at arm's length. In one quick motion, Trunks slashed across his shoulder. "AHH!!" Altair yelled in shock and pain, clutching his shoulder as blood ran through his fingers.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta walked down the hallway, sighing a bit from the amount of stress that he was trying to deal with. He stopped abruptly, nearly falling over, feeling the shock of a massive energy source. He whipped his head around in the direction he felt it coming from. "That. that feels like Trunks' energy. What on Earth is he doing fighting someone with that much power??" he paused, eyes widening. "Oh God. That's Altair's energy I'm sensing." He whispered in horror as he ran for the door. "What is that boy thinking?!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'll make you pay for that!" Altair yelled, jumping into the air and slamming a powerful double spin-kick to Trunks' jaw. He flew off to the side, landing hard against the rocky ground and skidding several feet. His sword flew from his hands in the process. "Ohh." he moaned, rubbing his jaw and quickly scrambling to his feet again. He turned around to face Altair again but couldn't see him. "What the--?" he looked around frantically in search of his opponent.  
  
"Trunks!!! Above you!! Look out! TRUNKS!!!!" Bra screamed as loud as her weakened body would permit, but to no avail. As much as she tried, her brother could not hear her warnings.  
  
Altair hovered high in the air, staring down at the boy and chuckled, extending his arms out at full length down towards him. Trunks looked up and found him, just as Altair fired a relentless attack of enormous energy blasts, all flying at devastating speed down at him. He clenched his teeth and used his energy to create a shield around his body, bracing as much as possible for the quickly approaching onslaught. The blasts hit, pounding Trunks into the ground and drilling him farther within the wide expanse of the crater that was formed. He closed his eyes and screamed as his body was hammered more violently than he had ever felt before in his life. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of excruciating attacks, he lay still and silent under the mass of rubble.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta could feel Trunks' power level dropping at an alarming rate and pressed on at incredible speed, his expression tense with desperation.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bra stared in stunned silence with wide eyes at the vast crater that extended over a sizeable distance and went quite deep. She gritted her teeth and stared down into the center of the hole where she knew her brother lay so badly hurt.  
  
Altair remained in the air, unmoving, save for lowering his arms back to his sides. He simply stared down coldly into the massive pit.  
  
Trunks exhaled, letting out a barely audible cry. He kept his eyes closed, feeling the heavy rocks that covered part of his body. He could also feel the blood from many large cuts on his face, arms and chest. It felt almost as if his right leg was broken as well, and he sure didn't doubt it. He opened it eyes slowly and coughed, spitting out blood. With great effort he pushed the huge rocks off of his legs and rolled over onto his back. He shut his eyes tight against the pain and breathed heavily, able to tell now that his leg was indeed broken. The only thing that ran through his mind over and over again at this point was, "Why am I not dead? Why hasn't he just killed me by now? How can I still be alive?"  
  
Vegeta finally saw the battle in the distance and sped up some more, suddenly appearing close enough to the scene to see his son at the bottom of an enormous crater. His eyes widened in shock at Trunks' condition. He was in his base form and his face was covered in streaks of blood, as well as his arms and chest. His clothes were shredded and from the looks of it, his right leg was broken in several places, if not crushed. He flared his power in anger and saw Altair floating in the air about level to him. He charged forward and yelled when he was suddenly knocked back by some sort of energy barrier. "What the??" he shook his head a bit and flew back up to it, banging his fist against the shield and creating brief waves of light in the energy.  
  
Altair turned his head to the side and half-grinned in amusement. "Ah, Vegeta! So you've decided to join us after all. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up, but then again, you've always been full of surprises, haven't you? It's too bad, though, that you had to arrive so late. I was hoping you wouldn't miss all the fun." He said, tilting his head down towards Trunks with a cruel smirk and laughed mockingly.  
  
"Altair, you bastard! You'll pay for this! I swear I'll make you pay!!" Vegeta yelled at him furiously.  
  
Trunks opened his eyes at the sound of his father. He forced himself off the ground and leaned against a rock, looking up. "Dad!" He turned his head and coughed up a mouthful of blood. He took a ragged breath and fought back the urge to gag at the grotesque feeling. Mustering up the remains of his energy, he slowly rose back into the air to where they were, at least able to prevent putting pressure on his leg.  
  
Altair ignored Trunks and continued talking to Vegeta who, on the other hand, was staring down at his son with eyes wide with shock and anger. "I see you've discovered my energy shield that is surrounding this entire battleground. It doesn't matter how much you try. You'll never be able to penetrate it, unless I allow you." He explained with a smug tone.  
  
Vegeta glared daggers at him and growled in frustration at, once again, being powerless to do anything. That was when he glanced up and suddenly saw Bra in, what looked like, another energy bubble. "Bra!!" he shouted, instinctively trying to fly to her, but was stopped by the shield. He released a loud growl and pounded both of his powerful fists against the barrier as his power level shot up dramatically.  
  
Bra stared down at her father. "Daddy! Daddy!!" she screamed at him, so desperately wanting him to save her, to hold her in his arms and take her home where she could be safe again. She pressed against the inside of her tiny prison, looking down at the three of them, uncertain of what would happen next and afraid for the lives of herself, her brother, and her father. It was already tearing her up seeing Trunks get nearly killed while trying to save her.  
  
Vegeta cast another look up at Bra, absolutely awe-struck by the amount of damage that he could see had been done to her. He gritted his teeth and clenched his shaking fists by his sides, staring back at Altair again. "You low-class piece of filth." He muttered in a dangerous tone, even his voice shaking in his own anger. "You're a pathetic coward, hiding behind your little power shields and using Bra as a tool to get what you want instead of fighting for it like a true warrior!! You're an absolute disgrace to the Saiyan race and you always have been! You've never been able to handle your own problems and face them like the fighter you were made out to be, but always found ways to use things to aid you in getting around them!! You disgust me and it's degrading to know that you came from the same planet as I did! Altair, when this is over, I swear you will wish you had died with your brother and never come back to mess with me or my family!!" Vegeta roared in an outburst of unrestrained rage, getting as close to the barrier as he could without pressing up against it.  
  
Trunks stared at his father wide-eyed and quiet, having been taken a bit by surprise at his sudden explosion of anger.  
  
Altair, having turned completely around to face him, stared back at Vegeta with an expression that clearly showed the surprise from all that he had said, and also, the prideful offense he felt. He glared back at him for another moment in silence before blinking, the look in his narrowed eyes changing to one more solid, piercing, and angry. He spoke in an eerily calm voice that held an underlying tone of danger and seriousness. "It would be wise for you to keep your temper in check, Vegeta. Remember, I am the one in control. I am the one who sets the rules here. And don't forget, I hold the life of your daughter in my hands. So, I suggest you watch what you say, if you care at all about *ever* seeing your precious little princess again." He paused, watching Vegeta's face change as his eyes showed the realization of total helplessness he was feeling. Altair powered down completely and loosened up a little, feeling better having now put Vegeta back in his place. "This was only a game. You will know my true power when the time comes. I must say, though, that from what I can tell from this little warm-up, you might as well give up now."  
  
Trunks, suddenly alarmed at the sign that Altair was leaving, flew at him. "I won't let you get away!" he yelled, swinging a punch with his right fist. His hand simply fell through an after-image as Altair blurred away effortlessly. He reappeared a bit higher in the air next to Bra. His arm lashed out, grabbing her wrist and yanking her roughly from the bubble, letting her dangle beside him. She screamed out in sudden fear at being in his grasp yet again, not to mention being held so helplessly at this height when she couldn't fly. Altair spoke down to the two Saiyans in a mocking tone. "This was fun." He smirked once again. "But if this is the best you can do when the real battle comes, you don't have a breath of a chance."  
  
Bra stared down at her brother and dad with a terrified look and reached out to them with her free hand. She took a breath to scream. "DA----!!" Before her desperate cry for help could even fully escape her throat, they had disappeared into thin air, along with the power shield.  
  
Vegeta gasped. "BRA!!" He flew forward, up towards where they had just been. He stopped and whipped his head from side to side in a frantic search for any sign of them. There was nothing. "No.. NO!" he clenched his fists, leaning forward as his power level shot up tremendously with his increasing anger. He shut his eyes and threw his head back, screaming with all the fury from within him. "ALTAIR!!!!" 


	16. A Day to Rest

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 16 - A Day To Rest  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE - We seem to be having difficulties posting the correct content of this particular chapter. Until we are able to figure out what is causing this, we ask you to PLEASE EMAIL either myself, (Jen) or Mandy in order to receive the missing part of the beginning. We have no problem sending this chapter individually for as many times as needed. As you can see, if you begin reading it doesn't make sense after the first sentence, so we encourage everyone to CONTACT US. Our email addresses are Jen - KawaiiPrincess2@aol.com or Mandy - SaiyanGirl707@aol.com. Thank you and Ja ne! ^_^  
  
Trunks sank down to the ground, still staring ahead of him with a look of total shock and disbelief in his eyes. he stopped in the middle of that thought, suddenly remembering that he had already used up his two-day limit when they were fighting Cell. Vegeta was growing increasingly frustrated as he saw all of his ideas failing before they were even fully developed. The only thing he could think of that might actually work was going to Kakarott. He cringed at the thought, immediately clearing that from his mind. Vegeta let out another sigh, deciding it was doing them no good to stay there and that it would be best to go back home to rethink their plan. He half-turned to the side and called back to Trunks. "Come on, Trunks. Let's go."  
  
Trunks stayed where he was for a moment, staring forward with fierce eyes, before lifting himself off the ground to follow Vegeta.  
  
Vegeta turned and flew off in the direction of Capsule Corp. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Trunks and saw him quite a distance behind, flying extremely slow and gradually sinking back down to the ground. Vegeta stopped and looked at him for a moment before flying back to him.  
  
Now that Trunks' thoughts had cleared, all he could focus on was the pain. His breathing was ragged and his vision was beginning to blur. He was struggling desperately not to show just how much pain he was in, especially since Vegeta was there, but it wasn't easy. Then he stopped and looked up as he saw his father flying towards him.  
  
Vegeta reached Trunks within a second or two and paused briefly, surveying the real damage done to him. Without saying anything, he moved down to Trunks' side and took hold of his arm, pulling it around his own shoulders for support, then put his other arm around his son's back.  
  
Trunks winced slightly. He was taken a bit by surprise at his father's apparent concern, but smiled faintly, not seeing the action very often and always appreciating it when he did.  
  
Vegeta glanced down at Trunks again before flying off, more slowly this time, back to Capsule Corp.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Later that day..  
  
Bulma looked up as Trunks came down the stairs, heading for the front door. "Did that sensu bean work, dear?" she asked.  
  
Trunks stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked at her. "Yeah, it did, Mom. Thanks. My leg feels much better now, too." He answered, hopping on his previously crushed leg to show her the recovery.  
  
Bulma smiled. "That's great."  
  
Trunks nodded before walking towards the door again.  
  
"Where are you going?" Bulma asked, following him a few steps.  
  
Trunks stopped a few feet away from the door. "I'm going to train." He answered simply.  
  
"But you've been training all day." She protested. "You need rest."  
  
Trunks continued staring ahead of him with a cold, set expression. "I'm going to train." He repeated, more firmly.  
  
"Trunks you know you can't keep pushing yourself this way. It's one thing to train, but it's a very different thing to go so hard that you kill yourself from exhaustion. You haven't even had so much as a full night's rest in at least a week, if not more." Bulma said in more of an orderly tone. "Now I am not going to stand by and watch my son burn himself out like his father did before. I want you to go upstairs and get some sleep right now. If you don't, then I'll be forced to put you under some sleeping drugs just so you can recover your full strength."  
  
Trunks listened to all this patiently. Then he turned his head to the side to look at her from the corner of his eye. "Mom, how can I possibly sleep when I know that.. that.. monster has Bra and is doing who-knows-what to her?" his fists shook in his growing anger. "I must train in order to get her back. I have to Mom. I can't let the next chance I get to save her slip through my fingers again."  
  
Bulma stared at him for a minute before speaking in a softer tone. "I know how you feel, Trunks. But you have to stop blaming yourself. What happened wasn't your fault and I have never blamed you for it. I miss her as much as you do if not more. It keeps me up at night, too, worrying if she's still okay. She's my only daughter and if there was anything that I could do to save her, I would gladly risk my life for it. But there IS nothing I can do. I don't have the power that you and Vegeta have, Trunks. All I can do is stay here and pray that everyone is all right. And when I see Vegeta come bursting through the door, carrying my unconscious son who's covered in blood, then the only thing I can do to help is make sure that he recovers. Just because you can walk again doesn't mean you're ready to go train yet. It won't do your sister any good if you kill yourself in training." By now tears had brimmed her eyelids, though she fought to keep them in. Without her knowledge, the ring on her finger had begun to shine more brightly, turning a shade of blue.  
  
Trunks had already turned his head back around, facing the door again. He had closed his eyes, listening calmly, and flinched at the sound of her voice breaking as she was on the verge of crying. He really hadn't thought about what it must be like for her. Bra was her daughter and yet she was completely helpless to save her now. His mind had been so caught up in fighting Altair that he hadn't considered anything else, including how his mother felt, or the fact that he was pushing himself far over his limits. He opened his eyes, now looking down to the floor. "Don't cry, Mom. I'm not a fool, and I won't let my training hurt me more than help." He paused and sighed, realizing in his mind that that was kind of what he had been doing lately, though he hadn't thought about it until now. "I'll do as you say, to make you feel better, and use the remainder of the day to rest. But I will train more, later. I still can't give up on that." He said in compromise. He turned around and looked at her, seeing the tears gone for the most part and the ring's brightness dying down a little. He walked back towards the stairs, pausing beside her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mom." He said quietly before going back upstairs to his room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bulma walked into the master bedroom and saw Vegeta already in there, standing in front of the balcony doors, staring out firmly with his arms folded. She shut the door quietly behind her and walked over to him. "Vegeta, what is all going on? Why won't you tell me anything? I want to know what is happening with our daughter. Tell me what happened today."  
  
Vegeta remained quiet, still gazing out through the glass balcony doors.  
  
Bulma sighed a little, not really having fully expected an answer so easily. "From what I can tell, this guy.. Altair, right? He's a lot stronger than you had given him credit for." She paused, knowing what she was about to say was the last thing Vegeta really wanted to hear right now. "Perhaps it would be a good idea if you asked Goku for his help."  
  
The moment the words left Bulma's mouth, Vegeta spun around to face her releasing his arms out to his sides. "Kakarott!! Woman, the LAST thing I want in this fight is any help from him! I don't need it! No. This is MY fight. Altair came from MY past. He kidnapped MY daughter and I do not need Kakarott to interfere in MY problem." He turned back around angrily, speaking in a quieter, more deadly tone. "And it will be MY revenge." He then raised his voice a little, speaking more to Bulma. "I absolutely refuse to request any aid of his."  
  
Bulma sighed again after a minute, knowing it was useless to even try mentioning Goku. She walked over to the window as well, looking out at the sky without saying another word on the subject.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks paced back and forth in his room, running his fingers through his hair in aggravation. He knew he had promised his mother that he would get some rest today, but he just couldn't fall asleep. Every time he lay down and closed his eyes, the only thing he saw was images of Bra, trapped in that bubble, reaching out for him, calling his name, begging for him to save her. He was restless. He wanted nothing more than to go and defeat Altair right now, but he knew that was impossible in his current condition. Trunks growled angrily at his inability to even sleep now, having nightmares before he'd even fall asleep to begin with. In a desperate attempt to distract him from these horrible thoughts, Trunks left his room. He stopped in the hallway, hearing his parents talking in their room. He moved closer to their bedroom door and stopped, staring intently down at the floor in concentration, trying to hear what they were saying. He couldn't really make out everything that Bulma was saying but he did hear something about asking Goku for help. He was, however, clearly able to hear Vegeta's yells about 'not needing Kakarott.' Trunks perked up at the sound of this, hesitating to make sure the conversation was over, then whispered to himself, "That's it.." He turned and walked briskly down the hallway.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chi-Chi stood on the balcony, busy with hanging laundry, and every now and then, glancing down to the front yard where Goku and Goten were sparring with each other.  
  
Goku skillfully dodged another kick and punch from Goten and back flipped away. "Ha! Come on, Goten! I know you can do better than that." he said with a challenging smirk.  
  
Goten growled in determination to take his father down this time. "Huh.." He suddenly jumped at Goku again, preparing to punch him with his right fist. Before he actually threw the punch, though, he blurred behind him and slammed his elbow into the back of his neck.  
  
Goku let out a stunned cry as he flew forward. He caught himself and spun around to face Goten again, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked up and grinned. "Now that's more like it." He said roughly, crouching somewhat with his fists up, ready to continue.  
  
Goten ran at him and jumped, flying forward with his foot out, aiming to kick him in the face.  
  
"Hm." He watched as Goten came closer, then dodged to the right. In one quick motion, he reached out, grabbing his son's ankle as it flew past his face. Without hesitating, he jumped into the air, swinging Goten around a few times for momentum, and threw him down to the ground.  
  
"Ahh!!!" Goten yelled and landed hard, skidding through the ground several feet before coming to a stop. "Oohh.." He moaned quietly and fell back, surprised at how bad his attack had backfired on him.  
  
As the two proceeded with their spar, it was also shaking the area around them, and their house, which included the balcony that Chi-Chi was trying to work on.  
  
Chi-Chi struggled to keep her balance, as well as catch all the articles of clothing that were falling from the clothesline. She growled in frustration. "That's it!" She threw the clothes back into the basket and stomped over to the edge of the balcony, gripping the railing tightly, and leaned over to look down at the two Saiyans. "GOKU!!" she yelled with a voice that could probably shake a house on its own.  
  
Goku jerked to a stop in the middle of a kick through the air, causing him to twist and lose his balance, falling flat on his face.  
  
Goten, who had been in the process of preparing a defensive attack, also jerked off balance at the sound of his mothers high-pitched yell, and fell over backwards. Both him and his father produced sweatdrops.  
  
Goku stood up and looked up at her. "Yes, dear?"  
  
"That is enough!" Chi-Chi shouted, putting her tightly clenched fists on her hips. Her hair was up in a messy bun with a few loose strands hanging down in her face. "If you two are going to cause this much racket, then you can just go somewhere else to train! I would like to keep our yard in one piece, if you don't mind!" She turned around with an exasperated sigh and walked back to the clothesline, muttering something about how they might as well attack the house itself.  
  
Goku sunk his head down a little, putting a hand on the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Ok, sorry Chi-Chi." He said with a nervous laugh.  
  
Goten was sitting on the ground, leaning back on his hands with his legs outstretched, watching another one of the frequent, one-sided battles between his parents. He let out a short sigh and looked up at the sky, suddenly spotting a twinkle in the distance. "Huh?" he muttered, squinting to see what it was. A broad smile suddenly came on his face as he realized who it was. "Hey Dad! Trunks is coming! Yahoo!" he exclaimed, jumping up to his feet excitedly. "Maybe be wants to spar or something."  
  
Goku smiled, too, as he and Chi-Chi looked up, indeed seeing Trunks on his way towards them.  
  
Chi-Chi resumed hanging out the clothes. "Well, it's always nice to see Trunks drop in. I wonder how he's doing right now."  
  
Goten stared forward as Trunks came closer, his smile gone, and a more serious expression taking its place. He felt foolish now, for having actually forgotten why Trunks was most likely coming over. The initial excitement of seeing his best friend caused him to not even think of what was happening to Bra right now.  
  
Goku's smile had faded as well. He clenched his fists loosely at his sides and waited for Trunks to get there, knowing his visit was not one of a pleasant mood. Something had gone terribly wrong and he knew Trunks had a very different reason for his visit that just to spar with Goten.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Altair and Bra appeared in the large, empty room of the ship where Bra had stayed for the majority of her time there.  
  
Altair was still holding her by her wrist as he had been when they teleported away from the battleground. He tensed his grip on her arm briefly before half-heartedly tossing her to the side.  
  
She landed and turned away from him, leaning on her hand and crying softly.  
  
Altair half growled, half sighed in annoyance as he turned toward the door and muttered. "This is proving to be far more difficult that I thought. He's not giving up that jewel so easily. Huh.." He turned his head to the side to look back at the girl from the corner of his eye after stopping with one hand on the door. He spoke suddenly, in a sharp, harsh voice. "Quit crying. You're a Saiyan, aren't you? Act like one." Then, without another word, he left, slamming the door shut behind him.  
  
Bra flinched at the sound and waited for the echo to die down. She raised her head a little, her vision blurry, as tears fell from her eyes and onto the floor. She sniffed and took a shaky breath, whispering quietly. "I'm never going to get out of here.." 


	17. Not My Place

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 17 -Not My Place  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
Trunks landed on the ground near Goku and Goten. His eyes were fixed on the ground as he slowly walked over to them, his expression tense.  
  
"Hey Trunks." Goten greeted. "What's up?"  
  
He looked up at his friend with a half-hearted smile. "Hey Goten." He then looked over Goku, the smile fading. "Goku, I need to talk to you."  
  
"Oh. All right." Goku replied and glanced around. "You want to go over there to talk?" he asked, pointing over towards the woods.  
  
Trunks looked over in the direction he was pointing and nodded. "Sure." He followed Goku as he took off into the air to go to the clearing in the woods.  
  
Goku stopped in a large clearing and turned around to face Trunks with a serious expression. "So, what's the matter Trunks?"  
  
Trunks still stared at the ground around Goku's feet, wanting to avoid his eyes, and paused for a minute. "It's about my father.." He trailed off.  
  
Goku had a feeling her knew where this might be going. "I know what's been going on with Bra, Trunks," he said sympathetically. "And as much as I've wanted to help, I just haven't felt it was my place to interfere. Everything in this fight seems to be very personal with Vegeta."  
  
Trunks looked up at Goku, suddenly distressed. "That's just it, Goku!" He exclaimed. "He needs your help and he knows it! He's just too stubborn to ask you for it. As much as he wants to do this alone, we need your help to get Bra back. It's going to take more than just me and my father to bring Altair down, whether Dad wants to believe that or not."  
  
Goku listened to Trunks' pleas patiently and turned his head to the side, looking at the ground. He was fighting with himself between what he wanted to do and what he felt was right. Finally he closed his eyes with a quiet sigh. "I can't." he hesitated. "I'm sorry, Trunks, but I just feel like I should respect Vegeta's wishes on this one." He opened his eyes a little, still looking down at the ground with regret, unable to make direct eye contact with the boy. "I can't come into this fight."  
  
Trunks' face fell as he heard Goku say this. He lowered his eyes to the ground, his expression mixed with surprise, and dejection. After staying silent for a moment, having not known quite how to respond to such an answer, he whispered with a hurt voice, "I see." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Well, I hope that maybe you'll change your mind after a while." He stammered quietly.  
  
Goku's eyes flinched at the sound of the pain he heard in him and muttered once again with a guilt-filled voice, "I'm sorry, Trunks."  
  
Trunks simply nodded once and turned around, taking off into the sky.  
  
Goten turned suddenly and looked up as Trunks rocketed out of the forest and flew away from their house. As he watched his best friend fly off into the distance, he whispered "Trunks.."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks sat on the edge of a high cliff out in the middle of nowhere, watching the sun set in the distance. The wind blew gently against his face as he let his mind wander to thoughts of his sister, Altair, their last encounter, and how horribly he had been beaten despite his best efforts.  
  
Goten suddenly landed quietly on the rocky ground behind Trunks. He paused before walking up to his friend and sat down next to him, without saying anything.  
  
Trunks didn't turn to look at him, but kept staring off into the setting sun, the brilliant golden light piercing through the thin, patchy clouds on the horizon. The dark, streaky shadows that were cast played across their faces, intertwining themselves in the bold, bright light. They sat there for a few minutes in silence, a soft breeze still blowing around them, before Trunks began to speak in a distant, quiet voice. "I don't know what to do, Goten. He's so powerful. Everything I try... it just all seems so worthless." He choked on his words and continued in a whisper. "I have to save her... but I don't know what I can do."  
  
Goten turned to look at him sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder, hoping to be able to bring some comfort to his friend. "We'll get her back, Trunks. I promise you that, but you have to keep it together. You have to stay strong for her. She's counting on you, and I know you can still do it." He leaned down slightly to see Trunks' face better and gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
Trunks glanced over at him and smiled gratefully after a moment. He nodded once and looked forward again as the wind blew once more, sending his hair flying softly back away from his face and lifting his spirits again. "Thanks, Goten."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks walked into the house late that night. As he passed through the living room, he saw Bulma lying on the couch asleep, obviously having been waiting for him to come back. He walked over to her, feeling guilty for making her worry about him again. After watching her for a minute as she slept, he grabbed a blanket and gently put it over her. He brushed the hair out of her face and turned, going upstairs to his room. Trunks closed the bedroom door quietly and walked to the middle of the room. He groaned a little as he kicked off his shoes, also pulling his shirt off over his head and changing out of his pants, all of which he left in a pile in the middle of the floor. Now only in his boxers, Trunks fell onto his bed, and lay there for a minute, casting glances around his room. He looked over at the clock on his wall, his sheathed sword propped up by his dresser, a picture of him and Goten when they were little, and his window. "We'll get her back, Trunks. I promise you that.." Goten's words echoed back through his mind. He let out a long, deep breath and smiled very faintly. He'd always been able to count on Goten to help him feel better, no matter what was going on. After another minute of thinking on this, he let out a quiet sigh, and rose up a little, grabbing the covers, and pulled them partway over his body as he lay back down. He knew he needed to rest, but it was so hard to ignore all the images and flashbacks that were continuously flying through his head. The wind blew through the trees outside his partially open window, and he focused his attention on the quiet rustling of the leaves. The feeling of the cool sheets against his almost naked body felt quite refreshing, he had to admit, and he welcomed this comfort with great pleasure. Trunks thought to himself and, finally, for the first time in a while, really started to relax. He slowly pulled the sheet up farther around himself and felt his eyelids begin to grow heavy. At last, as he stared out the window at what he could see of the star-filled night sky, Trunks closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vegeta came in from a little late-night training in the gravity room and went though the kitchen, finishing up what was left in his water bottle and placed it on the counter. As he walked up the stairs, the sight of Bulma asleep on the couch caught his eye and he stopped, looking across the room at her. He walked back down the stairs and crossed the room, stopping in front of her at the couch. She must have been waiting for Trunks to come home.." He thought absently. After another moment, he bent down and gently picked her up, moving the blanket off first, and carried her back up to their bedroom.  
  
Bulma stirred slightly in his arm and muttered, "Bra..."  
  
Vegeta glanced down at her as he walked into the room, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He figured Trunks must be home by now since he saw his door was closed when he passed it in the hallway. He walked over to the side of the bed and carefully laid her down, pulling the covers up around her. As he walked around to the other side of the bed, he stopped at the balcony doors and looked outside at the moon in the cloudless night sky. After staring up into the sky for another minute, he let out a quiet half sigh, half growl and went over to his side of the bed. He climbed into bed, rubbing the back of his neck, and sighed again, tiredly.  
  
Bulma suddenly turned slightly and muttered, "You have...to get her back...please."  
  
Vegeta stopped moving and looked over at her. He whispered, "I will, Bulma. I promise." Then, he reached over and turned off the light, lying down to get some much-needed rest. 


	18. The Stage Is Set

In The Eyes of a Hunter  
  
Written by Jennifer and Mandy  
  
Chapter 18- The Stage Is Set  
  
Author's Note: SORRY for the delay everybody. I know we've been slacking on the updates lately, but here's a good long chapter to make up for it. ^_^ Plus, I think Jen and I have come up with a new system for writing the chapters so they'll start coming out faster. Also, we know that Gohan and Videl's house is right next to Goku and Chi-Chi's in the show, but in our story, it's not. Gohan's house is. well it's somewhere far away from Goku's. ^_^; Okay, with that all cleared up, move on to the chapter! Enjoy! (review review review!!! ^^)  
  
Disclaimer - We do not own any of the DBZ characters. Yet, any new characters that we have made to fit the story are ours, and part of In the Eyes of a Hunter. Thank you!  
  
After a while, Bra had finally drifted off into a restless sleep in the corner of the room. She had curled up into a ball to try to stay warm, yet still shivered slightly in her sleep.  
  
A moment later, Altair came in the room, shutting the door behind him, then turned around and glanced about the room, finding Bra in the far corner. He walked across the room and stopped next to her, staring down at her for a second. "Get up and come here!" he demanded suddenly, then turned and began walking away, assuming she was following him. After another second without hearing her walking behind him, he stopped and looked back. With a sigh of annoyance, he turned around and went back over to the girl, seeing that she hadn't moved or even woke up. He got back to her and kicked her impatiently in the side. "I said get up! Follow me!" he ordered, and stood there to make sure she got up this time.  
  
Bra's eyes shot open and she gasped in shock, coughing slightly as her body instinctively curled up tighter. She looked up and saw Altair standing just a few inches in front of her with an irritated expression. With a slight grunt of effort, she used all her strength to scramble up into a standing position, the familiar fear for what he would do to her next, or worse, to her family, returning to her. The sleep that he had just ripped her out of hadn't been a peaceful one. Nightmares swarmed in her subconscious, but she preferred that to being awake. At least the nightmares didn't hurt.  
  
With a faint nod, Altair turned back around and headed towards the door with Bra slowly following behind. He made his way down the corridor outside the room that Bra had been in to the main control room. As he entered, he gestured to a chair and said very plainly, "Sit."  
  
Bra looked nervously around her. Since she had never seen much of the ship besides her room, she wasn't very familiar with where she was. As directed, she slowly walked over to the chair and sat down. After a slight hesitation, she asked in a voice barely above a whisper, "What are you going to do now?"  
  
Altair's eyes flickered over to her and he smirked. "Anyone with a power level high enough to fight is going to be able to see me in their mind. I will appear to them and simply tell them when and where the final battle will commence for the possession of the Jilkion Stone. From there, whoever cares about seeing you alive again at all will be there to fight me." He explained, having turned around to face her so he could get her reaction.  
  
Bra's eyes widened in fear as she listened to him, staring down at the floor in front of her. She clutched the seat under her with her hands, turning her knuckles white. This is what she had been fearing would happen. After watching what this monster had done to her brother, she just couldn't bear to see it happen again to him, or anyone else.  
  
Altair smirked again with a cruel chuckle and continued. "You will be of no more use to me after this battle, and unless I end up with the Stone, I don't see any reason to even let you live... or for that matter, why anyone else of your family or friends should live either." He stepped closer to her and crouched down, tilting her head up to him with a finger, and grinned, staring straight into her eyes. "That includes your father... your brother... and your precious, precious mother." He said slowly in a tone of voice that made Bra sit rigid in her seat as a chill ran from her neck to the end of her spine. "Do you understand now?" He straightened up and stepped back a little, still holding a strong gaze with her. "Nobody can defeat me. We saw how pathetic your brother was, and I bet Vegeta won't be much better. Anyone else that shows up will share the same fate as them. I will get what I want. It is inevitable, and if any of them are smart, they'll just give me the Stone. It's either my way, or no one will live to see tomorrow."  
  
Bra had broken the stare between them and lowered her eyes slightly. Her body trembled with hate, fear, and helplessness. She tried to control herself and remain strong, but she could feel the hot tears roll down her cheeks against her will. Her thoughts broke off as a great sob escapes her, causing her body to slump forward. I could have done something to prevent all this! But now, everyone is in danger. Trunks, Daddy... and even Mommy. Thoughts of her family and all her friends being hurt or killed by Altair flashed throughout her mind. She suddenly felt hot with anger as all the bottled up rage within her began rising to the surface. She stared ahead of her as her eyes turned cold and empty of feeling. Suddenly, her eyes flashed teal, but only for a few brief seconds before returning to their original blue, then again as her hair also lined with gold.  
  
Altair stood in place, his arms folded lightly over his chest, never moving. The only evidence that he was surprised was the slight rising of an eyebrow as he watched her.   
  
As quickly as it had come, the power Bra felt coursing through her vanished, leaving her completely exhausted. She fought desperately to remain conscious, but having exerted all the energy that she had left, which hadn't been very much anyway, left her drained, and she could feel it slipping away. After weaving back and forth for a few seconds, she fell forward out of the chair, landing on the floor in a heap.  
  
Altair followed her with his eyes and now stared down at her by his feet. "Hmph. Pathetic."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Mmmm..." Vegeta groaned quietly as he began to wake up. He irritably muttered something about how it couldn't possibly be morning yet. His eyes slowly opened and he pushed himself up into a half-raised position, propped on his elbow. "No sleep..." he grumbled as he got out of bed, being careful not to wake Bulma. As he rubbed his eyes, he stumbled sleepily into the bathroom and closed the door. The sound of the shower running could be heard a few moments later. Vegeta loved hot showers. They were one way to help him relax a little and think more clearly. He rotated his shoulders a little as the hot spray rained down all over his body and tried to think of how he was possibly going to be able to defeat his old childhood friend. He growled slightly as he thought about it all. "The bastard was able to go to different planets during all these years and learn all sorts of new techniques. It's no wonder why he was able to reach a level this high. All this time he's been training for this one purpose, waiting for this day to come, planning every rotten detail while I didn't suspect a thing! He thought of everything. He even hid his power level until he wanted to be known. All this planning that he's done. Years! He has the advantage..." he trailed off as he turned and pushed the knob down forcefully to shut the water off, causing a fairly loud 'bang'. "...and that pisses me off."  
  
Bulma jumped slightly at the sudden sound coming from the bathroom and sat up in the bed, opening her eyes. "Hm? Vegeta?" She mumbled groggily and blinked a few times, looking around. She stifled a yawn and brushed the few strands of hair that hung in her face back to the side. After fixing the covers a little, she got up and walked over to the dresser, brushing her hair and tying it back with a hair bow. Then, she knelt down and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a pair of khaki shorts and light blue shirt. She quickly got dressed and pushed the drawer closed with her foot. After another quick glance at herself in the mirror, she turned and headed downstairs to the kitchen to start making breakfast.  
  
Vegeta came out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel tied around his waist and another hanging from around his neck. He paused for a minute just outside the bathroom doorway and let out a long, slow sigh, enjoying the sudden change in temperature from the hot, damp bathroom to the cool, open bedroom. He glanced at the empty bed and walked over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of dark denim jeans, a red tank top, and a black button-up shirt, tossing them all behind him onto the bed. He closed the drawer and got dressed, leaving the black shirt open and tossed the two damp towels in the basket in the corner of the room. Then, he turned and went out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and headed down the hallway slowly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ah!" Trunks fell to the ground, landing on one knee. He stabbed his sword into the ground beside him and fell back in a sitting position, breathing hard, as sweat ran down his face and dripped off his chin. He had been training outside since the first gray light of morning began to show in the dark sky and hadn't taken a break any longer than it took to drink a few sips of water. The last encounter he had with Altair left him so absolutely enraged that he was not able to keep himself from training as hard as he possibly could. He glanced over at his sword and thought for a minute about getting up again. "No..." he muttered between exhausted breaths. Instead, he fell back onto the ground and stretched out in the grass under a tree in the backyard, closing his eyes and resting within the sanctuary of the shade. He had gone to bed early the night before so he would be able to get up at dawn to train. He didn't want his mother to know he had been outside doing that for so long because he knew she'd get worried. A huge sigh escaped him, and he could feel his muscles loosening up as his body really began to relax. Of course, he planned on returning to his training after a while, but for now, he just tried to enjoy the pleasure of the soft breeze that blew around him as he stared up at the clear blue sky through the leaves of the tree.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Piccolo stood on the edge of a high cliff with his eyes closed, listening intently on all the sounds around him. The wind blew forcefully against the Namekian, sending his long, white cape whipping sharply out behind him. After a few minutes of still silence, his eyes shot open. In one lightning-quick motion, he threw his arms out forward and fired off a huge beam of energy into the distance at his invisible target. He stood there, with his arms still stretched out forward and stared with narrowed eyes as the top of a far-off mountain shifted suddenly, and slid off its base, crumbling to the ground in a massive pile of rubble. He watched for a moment longer before lowering his arms back to his sides. Then, lifting his legs from the ground, he hovered, taking on his well-known meditative position. He crossed his legs and folded his arms, tilting his head down slightly and closing his eyes, remaining only a couple of feet above the cliff's surface. After letting out a long, slow breath, he fell into a state of deep concentration.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Goku sat on top of a large rock, staring down into the river a few feet below him. As he watched the tiny waterfall next to him and the few little fish that swam by, drifting along with the slow currents, he couldn't help but think back to all the good times he had spent there with his friends. He used to come here all the time with them and go fishing. A faint smile showed at the corner of Goku's mouth as he thought back even further and remembered that it was this same river that he was walking home from as a little kid when he first met Bulma. He laughed quietly and smiled more, remembering how he had tried to 'save' her from the 'monster', which was actually just her car. Now, he sat here as a grown man and was able to think clearly of everything that had been happening. As the distant memories faded away, so did Goku's smile. He stared down at the water with a serious expression and reflected on Trunks' last visit and what they had talked about. He lowered his eyes slightly as Trunks' words echoed in his mind and guilt washed over him.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
"He needs your help and he knows it! He's just too stubborn to ask you for it. As much as he wants to do this alone, we need your help to get Bra back. It's going to take more than just me and my father to bring Altair down, whether Dad wants to believe that or not."  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Goku's eyes twitched as he remembered the look of surprise and pain on the young Saiyan's face when he said that he couldn't help him. Now, he wondered if it really was such a great idea to leave this battle up to Vegeta and Trunks alone. He knew he had good reasons for his decision before, but now he couldn't think of any of them. It *was* rather unlike him to abandon a fight when his help was needed, and he knew that, but for some reason, he had just felt that he should stay out of it. "What's the matter with me?? What was I thinking..." Goku spoke quietly to himself in a tone of disbelief. He lifted his head and stared up at the sky, watching the few clouds float by in the breeze of the day. A look of determination came over him and he nodded slightly to himself. His friends needed his help, and there was no way that he could stand back and watch them get killed without ever lifting a finger to help them. Goku knew that Altair possessed a power stronger than anything they had ever imagined they would come up against, and there was a chance they might not make it. Even so, he would do everything within his power to help defeat this new enemy, even if it meant he might die in the process.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Finally..." Gohan muttered tiredly to himself as he lay down the book he was reading, taking his glasses off at the same time, and raised a hand slowly to rub his head and eyes. He had stayed up all night working on a huge assignment that needed to be done as soon as possible. Dropping his hand back down to his lap, Gohan couldn't help but smile proudly at his success as he looked down at the finished project on the table. It had been very difficult, and he had spent a long time working on it. Carefully, he lifted the thick stack of papers from the table and straightened them, then placed them inside his open briefcase and closed it, making sure to lock the small latches on either side of the handle. After placing the book on top of his briefcase, he fell back into the chair and let out a loud sigh of exhaustion and satisfaction. He stifled a yawn and looked at the clock hanging on the wall across the room, which said that it was 10:17 A.M. "Ugh..." He wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and collapse into bed, but he remembered that he had promised Pan that he would take her for a walk in the nearby forest and go down to the river for a little while after he finished his work. He sighed quietly and cast a longing glance up the stairs to where his bedroom awaited him, then got up to go find his daughter.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Goten landed on the ground, but not even long enough for his image to fully become visible before he sprung back into the air, throwing rapid punches and lightning-fast kicks at his invisible opponents. He had been training outside for a few hours now and had worked up quite an adrenaline rush. "Hyaaa!!" He screamed out as he fired a huge beam of energy into the distance. He clenched his fists and pulled them back in close to his sides, suddenly spinning around with a double kick to another "enemy" and completing it with several repeated punches. He then flew backwards several feet and went higher, crossing his forearms over his face as he powered up. His aura flared greatly as he then shot his arms out to his sides and released a gigantic wave of energy around him in all directions. Goten continued like this for a few more minutes before back flipping out of the air and landing on his feet. After standing unsteadily for a few seconds, he let himself fall backwards onto the ground into a sitting position, breathing heavily as beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his forehead and down the back of his neck. Closing his eyes, he let out a great sigh of exhaustion and fell back against the ground, stretching his arms back over his head. The wind blew softly around him, sending a ripple through the grass that tickled the side of his arm. His body was sprawled in the lush, green grass and he smiled faintly at the comfort of it. He opened his eyes and stared up at the clear, blue sky, losing himself in thought as he watched the birds fly overhead and the trees around him blow in the wind, and listened to the distant sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Altair sat back down into his chair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs and lightly tapping his fingertips together in front of his face. His eyes glinted evilly as they narrowed with cruel determination. "It's time." He said slowly, an eager smirk played on his lips. He folded his hands and closed his eyes in concentration, reaching out with his mind to find any warrior whose power was strong enough to sense. Then, after finding six distinct signals, his eyes shot open as he sent a wave of telekinetic energy out around him. A smile slowly crept onto his face as he leaned back in his chair, knowing that now, everyone whose energy signal he sensed was able to see him in their mind. He chuckled deep in his throat and set his icy blue eyes ahead of him, speaking in a low, steady voice. "I bet you were wondering if you'd seen the last of me." He smirked with a slight laugh. "I don't think so. This is all very far from being over, and it will only get worse until you do as I say." His voice grew more serious and the smile faded from his face, the humor leaving his eyes. "You have refused to yield to my demands, and because of that, you have left that pathetic little girl here to suffer!" Altair's anger was rising as his impatience grew. He continued on in a dark, threatening tone. "I will tell you one... last... time. Give me the Jilkion Stone or this girl will die before sunset!!" As this was shouted, Altair waved his left arm sharply out to his side, which then brought forth the image of Bra, lying unconscious on the floor, covered in bruises and blood. Still facing forward to his 'audience', he continued in a less angered voice. "Now, as you can see, she hasn't been cooperating quite as well as I had hoped she would." He paused, the corner of his mouth twitching faintly with another smirk. "If she had just told me where the Stone was in the first place, then she would have been released a long time ago." He shrugged his shoulders slightly and leaned over on the armrest of the chair, propping up on his elbow and resting his chin in his hand to show how little he actually cared about her. "Since the situation is becoming more complicated, I'm being forced to take far more drastic measures that I originally intended." Altair straightened up again, leaning forward a little. "I will be in the East Desert in two hours with the girl, but don't get your hopes up. She will be completely under my control, and will not be able to be touched or contacted in any other way by any of you. Anyone that cares about seeing this worthless child alive again will be there to challenge me. Of course, if you would like to settle this all... peacefully," he grinned in amusement, "and just hand over the Jilkion Stone, then everything would go by so much faster, and I would be more than happy to rid myself of you AND the girl," he paused, glancing back at her unconscious body for a brief moment before looking forward again and continuing with cruel humor in his voice, "provided she lives that long." He stopped and leaned forward a little, seeming to focus more. "Vegeta, you could have made this so much easier for yourself, your son, and especially, for your little daughter. You could have prevented their pain, but it looks like your PRIDE is still more important to you than the people you care about, isn't it? I suppose some things just never change." It seemed like Altair was looking straight at Vegeta as he spoke. Then, he suddenly stood up. "The battle has been set." He said as he turned abruptly to the side, sending his long cape-like jacket flying out around him, and walked over to Bra. In one quick, rough motion, he grabbed her from the floor and held her up at arms length so that everyone could see her clearly. He then continued in a harsh and mocking voice. "I'll be waiting for you." With that, the telepathic connection dissolved, and Altair's heartless laughter could be heard, echoing in the darkness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGHHH!!!!!!!!" Vegeta fell to his knees, letting out a sickening scream, and pounded his fists into the floor. His ki flared uncontrollably until the entire Capsule Corp. foundation began to shake. "How dare he!!!!" He shut his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth, bringing his fists in close to him and tensing until blood dribbled out through his fingers from the force of his fingernails driving into his palms.  
  
"Whoa!!" Bulma fought to keep her balance as the entire house suddenly rocked and jolted. She was in the kitchen and had been frying potatoes, which were now all over the counter and the floor, along with the hot grease they had been cooking in. She had scarcely been able to avoid it as it all sloshed out of the pan on the stove, splattering all around her feet. After steadying herself, Bulma frowned at the huge, sizzling mess, then turned and ran out of the kitchen to find the source of all the commotion, deciding to clean the kitchen up afterwards. "Vegeta?" she called as she went up the stairs. She found him in the hallway, covered with sweat, blood dripping from his hands onto the carpet, and an expression of absolute rage on his face. She stopped abruptly, startled, and gasped. "Ve... Vegeta?" she asked slowly, and walked over to him. "What's the matter?? Are you all right?"  
  
He wasn't going to lie to her. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't all right, and he wasn't going to keep everything a secret now. There was a dark feeling in the back of his mind that they may indeed never see their daughter again, though he forced the thought back into his subconscious, not wanting to even think about it. Vegeta sighed and slowly stood up, keeping his bloodied fists clenched. After a moment of staying silent, he began in a gruff voice. "Altair is still holding Bra, and has made it known where the final battle to get her back will take place."  
  
Bulma gasped quietly. "The final..." she whispered to herself. "Vegeta, what does he want? Why has he taken Bra? What does he have to gain from all the suffering he's caused??" Tears started in her eyes as she thought of what all he could have done to her daughter, and what she possibly could have been through. After all, she is still only a child.  
  
Vegeta closed his eyes for a long moment, wondering if he should tell her the truth behind the stone that he had given to her on their anniversary. After a short sigh, he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Altair is after the Jilkion Stone. It holds great power and getting it would mean supreme control over anything he wants."  
  
Bulma's eyes widened as she looked down at the ring on her finger, the stone shining in all its wonder. She remembered what Vegeta had told her on the night he gave her this precious gift.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
"It's called the Jilkion Stone. It was the most rare of all jewels on Planet Vegeta. Only one exists. The royal family has passed it down for generations. This one stone is more valuable than anything on this planet."  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Bulma looked up from the ring to her husband, tears falling to the floor from the motion. "But... Vegeta..." she began. "Why don't you just give him what he wants?? Give him the stone and save our daughter!" she cried in desperate exasperation. She wasn't able to think straight, seeing the jewel now as just a ticket to get Bra back. Of course, she cherished the gift Vegeta had given her, but she loved her daughter far more.  
  
Vegeta shook his head and reached out to her, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "No, Bulma, you don't understand. As much as I want to do that, it is impossible. If Altair gets the Jilkion Stone, he would be able to eventually gain control over the entire universe, with no one to stop him. I want Bra back as much as you do, but if we hand over that stone, there will only be much greater suffering to come, for us, as well as the rest of the world. We must find a way to stop him here and now. We can *not* risk waiting until after he gets the stone to fight him. Believe me, I will make him pay for what he has done to her. I promise you that." He slowly removed his hands from Bulma's shoulders, letting them hang at his sides again, fists clenched slightly. Vegeta was grateful, at least, that she had not been able to see the image of their daughter in her present condition. He didn't know if she would have been able to handle that. "Altair has set a time for the battle. I am to meet him in the East Desert in two hours, and when I come back, it will be with our daughter." An underlying growl of fury and determination presented itself in Vegeta's voice. Then, without so much as another word, he turned and made his way down the hall, turning at the top of the staircase and going downstairs.  
  
Bulma turned around and watched him walk away, her hands clasped together at her chest. Only now did she realize that she had been holding her breath through most of what Vegeta had said. She stared down the hall as if Vegeta were still down there, and let out a long, shaky breath. A tear slid down her cheek as she looked down at her ring again, which she slowly removed from her finger and clutched in the palm of her hand, whispering, "Hold on, Bra."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks was in the air now, swinging his sword violently in front of him, and screaming the whole time out of insane rage as the images in his mind faded away. He hurled his sword down at the ground with vicious ferocity, driving it deep within the earth as it hit. He fell back to the ground, landing hard on his feet. Trunks stood with his legs apart and his arms out from his body and continued to unleash all the rest of the anger that he had bottled up inside of himself, transforming into Super Saiyan 2 as he did so. After a few minutes, he collapsed to the ground, falling to his knees, and then to a sitting position, reverting back to his base form as he landed. He sat there, breathing heavily, his hair hanging loosely in front of his face and dripping with sweat. He had to prepare for the upcoming battle, and he knew that he must fight with everything he had. Trunks looked up slightly and stared ahead of him with cold eyes through the strands of his sweat-dampened bangs, narrowing them with determination.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Piccolo now stood in the place that he had been meditating in a few minutes ago. An angry scowl spread itself across his face, a growl escaping from deep within his throat. His long, white claws dug into the green flesh of his palms as he clenched his fists tightly in rage at seeing the horrible things that had been done to such a young girl. "He won't get away with this." Piccolo spat angrily, his voice rough. "You can count me in on this one." He turned slightly, looking in the direction of the indicated future battlefield, his cape blowing violently out behind him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh no!!" Goku shouted as the vision faded from his mind. He sprang to his feet in a nearly frantic motion, jumping down from the rock he sat on and landing next to it. He gritted his teeth and looked down at his hands. "This has gone too far!" he exclaimed. "No one should have to be the pawn of such a selfish and evil plan! Especially not someone as young and helpless as Bra." He knew that Altair had taken her, of course, but he had no idea that her condition was so bad. With an angry growl, he jerked his head up, staring ahead of him, his eyes narrowed dangerously and brows drawn close together. "I'll make you pay for this, Altair!!" With that, he turned and punched his right fist into the large boulder that he had been sitting on, disintegrating it instantly. He lowered his arm and turned, looking up at the sky with a lethal glare.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Gohan let out a breath and leaned against the side of the house. "Man..." he whispered in disbelief. "Is this guy for real?" There was a hint of panic in his eyes, but overall he was enraged to learn that Bra had been so violently abused by this man. "I just hope I still have what it takes. This guy isn't gonna be easy to take down, I can tell." He paused for a moment, trailing off in his thoughts, before tightening his fist and pushing himself off the wall. He sighed slightly in regret, for he would not be able to keep his promise to Pan this time, but she could not know the reason. He turned around and flew off in the other direction towards his father's house with a determined look in his eyes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Aaahhh!!" Goten let out a scream of rage as he fell to his knees, pounding his fists into the ground, leaving two large holes in the yard. "I can't believe this jerk!! He's not gonna get away with tormenting my best friend like this and then try to leave, smiling about it, in the end! I don't think so!!" He yelled, staring down at the ground, trying very hard to control his rage. Goten didn't lose his temper very often, but he'd seen Trunks' in too much pain the past couple of weeks, and now this. He could only imagine what his friend was feeling right now after that vision. There was no way Goten could just wave this off. He raised his head, his eyes narrowed into slits, a venomous glint in them. "No one messes with my friend that way." He hissed maliciously. "You don't know what you're asking for, Altair."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Altair now stood in the room Bra had been kept in, the girl laying at his feet. He closed his eyes and chuckled softly to himself. "Feels like they're getting pretty riled up. Wonderful." He then opened his eyes and looked down at Bra, who was slowly waking up again. "I suggest you get your senses back together pretty quick. I've arranged for a little gathering, and all your friends have been invited to join us." He smirked, chuckling again.  
  
Bra pushed herself into a sitting position, looking up at him with wide eyes. "No... you can't." She whispered, then cried out, "Please! Please don't hurt them!!"  
  
Altair just stared back down at her, grinning slightly at the pleasure of her fear. "So sorry, but I'm afraid I can't grant you that little favor. You see, anyone that shows up in the place that I have indicated will already know the conditions for this battle. I will not hold back for any of them! I will *not* stop now when my mission is so near its completion! I will not fail now." He tilted his head down slightly, staring hard at her. "You and your friends don't stand a chance." He said slowly in a dark voice.  
  
Bra stared up at him, instinctively leaning back a little as if his eyes were piercing through her, his intense stare nearly overwhelming her with its pressure. She trembled slightly and shut her eyes, lowering her head, and whispered to herself in a sense of hopelessness and loss. "No..." 


End file.
